Psychological capital, burnout, and quality of work life: evidence from Vietnam

Abstract

The present study investigates the impacts of psychological capital on burnout and quality of work life of employees in Vietnam. The study based on positive organizational behavior theory to propose a model in which psychological capital has impacts on burnout and quality of work life. This research also examines the roles of burnout in quality of work life. The model was tested with a sample of 302 employees working for firms in Ho Chi Minh City by means of structural equation modeling. The results show that the proposed model fits the data well and all hypotheses were supported. The test confirms that psychological capital has positive impacts on quality of work life and negative impacts on burnout of employees. These findings verify the importance of psychological capital in work and lives in a transitioning market. Hence, psychological capital is important for enhancing employee’s quality of work life and reducing job burnout. In addition, firms should pay attention to this type of capital in their recruiting, training and career development programs.