Young adults in corporations – psychological labour costs and their correlates based on some empirical research studies

Abstract This article raises the issue of psychological labor costs comprehended – in line with the conceptualization by Maslach and Leiter – as symptoms of occupational burnout: emotional exhaustion, cynicism, low self-efficacy as experienced by young adults employed in one of the Lower Silesian biotechnological corporations. The author presents some correlative research studies and their results based on research conducted on a group of 80 specialist employees including 10 managers, covering their experience of burnout symptoms and also its correlates, such as global and organisational self-esteem. The research studies presented here are part of a larger research project which also includes some diagnosis on corporate culture and its organisational climate. Above all their results show an alarming levels of cynicism and emotional exhaustion experienced by these employees, together with their high global self-esteem and medium organisational self-esteem.