BURNOUT IN THE HIRING PROCESS: IMPACT OF WORKLOAD AND INCENTIVES ON JOB SATISFACTION WITH BURNOUT AS A MEDIATOR AND ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT AS A MODERATOR AMONG RECRUITERS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between workload, burnout, incentives, perceived organizational support 
(POS), and job satisfaction with a special interest on how POS can be used to address the negative impacts 
of burnout on employee satisfaction. The paper fulfills a very acute research gap in high-need organizational 
settings, in which the welfare of employees is frequently neglected because of high workloads, lack of support, 
and motivation resources. The study is based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and Social 
Exchange Theory to explain the negative effect of high workload and burnout on job satisfaction and the 
positive effect of organizational resources, in this case, POS and incentives, can prevent such adverse 
consequences. The empirical study incorporated a quantitative and cross-sectional survey design; correlation 
was analyzed with PLS-SEM in Smart-PLS 4, which involves direct, moderating, and interaction 
relationships. Findings suggest that burnout mostly due to workload reduces job satisfaction, but POS has a 
direct and significant positive effect on satisfaction, and moderates the relationship between burnout and 
satisfaction, and negates the negative effect of burnout. Job satisfaction is positively influenced by incentives 
and does not contribute to burnout significantly indicating that incentives are motivational rather than 
protection resources.  Measurement models as well as structural models show high reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and predictive relevance (R2, Q2, RMSE, and MAE) which prove the soundness and applicability of the results. The originality of the study is that it incorporates a two-pathway framework that comprises a combination of job demands, job resources, and motivational variables to explain the level of satisfaction among employees in high-demand environments. The implications of these results are also theoretical and practical since it provides insights into the way organizations can manage the workload, improve perceived support, and deploy effective incentive programs to maintain employee performance and welfare. Future studies can build upon the model by using longitudinal research designs, cross-industry studies, and adding more moderating factors like resilience or leadership style to improve the understanding of the relationships between employee satisfaction and burnout. Besides its main model, the research has a methodological value in that it shows how the interaction-based partial least squares structural equation modeling can be used to unravel the multifaceted psychological process in the organizational study. Simultaneously modeling the mediating as well as moderating forces, the study provides a more accurate depiction of the process in which the employees feel stressed and experience support in a high-pressure environment. This is superior to the time-honored linear models and allows scholars and practitioners to not only establish whether there are connections between variables but also to establish how and under what conditions these connections get stronger or weaker. The study, therefore, suggests a Volume 4, Issue 1, 2026 strong analytical framework that can be replicated or modified by future researchers in various organizational and cultural settings in order to enhance the current knowledge on workforce sustainability and employee 
well -being.