Comparing burnout among client facing and non client facing employees using the Copenhagen burnout inventory

The study aimed to examine the prevalence and structure of burnout among employees with and without direct client contact. The research focused on validating the three-dimensional structure of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and identifying key symptoms of burnout, with particular attention to differences across occupational roles, age groups, and gender. A large sample of 34,727 employees from various occupational sectors participated in the study. Burnout was measured using the CBI, which includes personal, work-related, and client-related dimensions. Statistical analyses included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the factorial validity and measurement invariance of the CBI, network analysis to identify central burnout symptoms, and group comparisons to examine differences across job roles, age, and gender. The CFA confirmed the three-dimensional structure of the CBI and demonstrated measurement invariance across gender and age groups. Network analysis revealed that symptoms such as end-of-day fatigue, morning exhaustion, and frustration with clients were central in maintaining burnout across domains. Employees with direct client contact, especially women and individuals aged 25–54, reported significantly higher levels of work-related burnout. In contrast, personal burnout levels did not significantly differ between those with and without client contact. Findings underscore the importance of addressing central symptoms of burnout in interventions. The results support the need for evidence-based organizational policies that are sensitive to occupational role, age, and gender, in order to more effectively mitigate the risk of burnout.