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@article{207740,
        author = {Amah, Cletus Okey and Taiwo Adekunle},
        title = {CIVIC VIRTUE: A CORPORATE ANTIDOTE OR AN ENABLER OF EMPLOYEE BURNOUT? AN EVIDENCE-BASED EVALUATION},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {3},
        pages = {2471-2485},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=207740},
        abstract = {Power distribution firms in Nigeria are generally confronted with daunting challenges, which are naturally exacerbated by infrastructural constraints, amidst the pressure to meet customer expectations The end result is the commonly observed high rate of employee burnout for which such organizational citizenship behaviours as civic virtue have often been implicated. However, the relationship between civic virtue and burnout is somewhat nebulous and has thus been the subject of extensive scholarly debate just like other of elements of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) This study sought to empirically evaluate the place of civic virtue as a critical organizational citizenship behaviour and its relationship therein with the rather pervasive phenomenon of employee burnout in the power sector. The study employs cross-sectional survey design and utilizes data obtained from questionnaire administered to 315 employees of power distribution firms in Nigeria’s energy capital city of Port Harcourt. These were analyzed and hypotheses tested, using Pearson product moment correlation coefficient with the help of SPSS 25.0 to ascertain the relationship between civic virtue (as an operational dimension of organizational citizenship behaviour) and employee burnout (as measured by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). Results reveal that civic virtue – our predictor variable – relates positively with the three proxies of burnout – our criterion variable. These findings highlight the potential emotional costs of civic virtue, even though such behaviors are valuable to the organization. The study concludes that while civic virtue—demonstrated through active involvement in organizational governance and responsibility—supports organizational goals, it may also contribute to feelings of detachment or depersonalization, especially when employees feel that their efforts are undervalued When civic virtue is not met with sufficient organizational support and recognition, employees may feel disconnected or unfulfilled, especially if their efforts do not result in visible individual achievements. It is, therefore, recommended that firms establish feedback loops where employees can see how their input has been acted upon and their contributions lead to real changes, in order to feel more connected to the organization.},
        keywords = {Burnout, Civic Virtue, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, Reduced Personal Accomplishment},
        month = {August},
        }