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Work-Life Balance and Professional Burnout: Evidence from Law Enforcement in Southern Cebu

Aniceto Berou Jr.
Research, Extension, and Marketing Director Professional Academy of the Philippines Research and Extension Development Center (REDC) City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Veronica Calang
Assistant Dean Professional Academy of the Philippines College of Criminology City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Mardy Villahermosa
Research and Administrative Coordinator Professional Academy of the Philippines College of Criminology City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Edelbert Israel
Instructors Professional Academy of the Philippines College of Criminology City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Adrian Li Alfante
Instructors Professional Academy of the Philippines College of Criminology City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Margie Evalle
Students, College of Criminology Professional Academy of the Philippines City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Rey Kelsey Saplad
Students, College of Criminology Professional Academy of the Philippines City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
Bernardo Pardillo
Students, College of Criminology Professional Academy of the Philippines City of Naga, Cebu, Philippines
DOI Crossref DOI 10.37547/tajiir/Volume08Issue08-01
tajiir 2026
VOL. 8 / NO. 08 AUGUST
FULL TEXT PP. 01-16
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VOLUME 8
ISSUE 08
YEAR 2026
PAGES 01-16
RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Abstract

Law enforcement officers, particularly patrolmen, face chronic occupational stressors that disrupt work-life balance and contribute to burnout—a syndrome marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment. This study examined the correlation between work-life balance and burnout among patrolmen (n=18) in the City of Naga and San Fernando, Southern Cebu, Philippines. A quantitative-correlational design was employed using a validated survey grounded in the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Spearman’s rank correlation. Most respondents (94.4%) rarely disconnect from work outside working hours. Emotional exhaustion registered a moderate weighted mean of 3.08. Depersonalization showed zero variance, precluding correlation analysis. Work-life balance showed no significant correlation with emotional exhaustion (ρ = -0.219, p = 0.383) or personal accomplishment (ρ = -0.157, p = 0.533). Findings reveal notable emotional exhaustion and work-life imbalance. Organizations should implement workload redistribution, stress management, and wellness-supportive policies to protect officer well-being.

RESEARCH TOPICS

Keywords

work-life balance burnout patrolmen emotional exhaustion depersonalization , Philippine National Police

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