Fatores de desgaste profissional na área de consultoria

Abstract

Consulting plays a crucial role in the business world, providing fully specialised diagnostics and solutions to meet each client's needs. However, the work dynamics in this sector can be highly demanding and stressful, leading to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion among consultants, and in recent years there has been an increase in awareness of the adverse effects of burnout in consulting. Considering this scenario, the objective of this study is to understand the factors contributing to burnout in this field, their implications, and suggestions for effective measures to combat and prevent burnout to considerably improve the well-being of consultants, promote the productivity of organisations and client satisfaction. A qualitative approach was adopted, conducting interviews with a total of seven consultants distributed across three distinct sectors of consulting: human resources, business management, and information technology. The results reveal that pressure for results imposed by management is the primary factor contributing to burnout in all types of consulting analysed. However, some variations were also observed regarding the factors contributing to burnout. Promoting a better balance between personal and professional life was the suggested approach by all interviewees, only achievable through organisational policies supporting the well-being of consultants.

Date of Award	24 Oct 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rita Ribeiro (Supervisor)