Date of Award
3-24-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Department
College of Business
First Advisor
Donald Schoffstall, Ph.D.
Committee Members
Donald G. Schoffstall, Ph.D.; David C. Hood, Ph.D; Larry W. Hughes, Ph.D
Keywords
Brewery; Professional burnout; Distillery; Worklife; DEI support
Abstract
The goal of this study was to explore individual and organizational factors of professional burnout (PB) among US brewery and distillery employees, as no known published research exists for the phenomenon in these industries. PB is a phenomenon characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced accomplishment, negatively impacting employee well-being and organizational performance (Edú-Valsania et al., 2022)—further, burnout's frequency and intensity across various industries and occupations (Hammond et al., 2018). The research questions of this study explore the prevalence and severity of burnout in US craft brewery and distillery employees and relationships between areas of worklife and demographics.
This quantitative study with a deductive framework utilized a correlation and comparative design. Participants were recruited through the online forums of two large trade organizations, the Brewers Association and the American Distilling Institute. They completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and Areas of Worklife Survey (Mind Garden, n.d.). Participants (n = 262) consisted of those over 21 and working full-time in a US craft brewery or distillery. Data was analyzed using unpaired t-tests, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and independent sample t-tests.
Overall, brewers and distillers are more exhausted and cynical than the normative sample but are balanced by a slight increase in professional efficacy. Of the 18 possible combinations between burnout domains and worklife areas, 17 were significant, and 10 had at least a moderate correlation strength. Employee cynicism was linked to the greatest number of worklife areas, including control, reward, community, values, and fairness. The strongest correlation was between workload and exhaustion. The analysis results indicated no significant differences in job fit of any worklife domains based on level of education or organization type. Significant differences exist in at least one worklife domain for all other demographic items. Recommendations from this study include enhanced professional development, incorporating managerial characteristics into the role, ongoing DEI support, and suggestions for hiring. The study's findings will help stakeholders in developing effective strategies to reduce professional burnout in the brewing and distilling industries.
Recommended Citation
Warren, James G., "Trouble Brewing: The Relationship Between Professional Burnout and Areas of Worklife in US Craft Brewery and Distillery Employees" (2025). JWU Dissertations & Theses. 29.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/jwu_etd/29
