Buyer Burnout and Psychological Safety: Addressing the Obscured Crisis in Supply Chain Management

This manuscript explores the critical issue of buyer burnout within modern supply chain management, emphasizing its roots in eroded psychological safety and high job demands. As supply chains face increasing complexities—geopolitical tensions, rapid digitalization, and volatile markets—buyers in strategic procurement roles encounter elevated stress levels that threaten their well-being and organizational resilience. The study underscores how unmanaged stress and lack of psychological safety contribute to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished efficacy, which impair decision-making and supply chain stability. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, the paper positions psychological safety as a vital organizational resource that buffers the adverse effects of intense job demands. Empirical synthesis from 78 studies reveals a strong inverse relationship between psychological safety and burnout, highlighting that environments fostering open communication, trust, and fairness significantly mitigate burnout symptoms. Qualitative insights illustrate that perceived lack of voice, unfair treatment, and organizational opacity exacerbate emotional exhaustion among buyers, whereas supportive leadership and transparent practices enhance psychological safety and resilience. The findings advocate for strategic organizational interventions—such as leadership training, fair policies, and proactive communication—to cultivate a psychosocial safety climate. Implementing these measures can reduce burnout, foster innovation, and improve supply chain performance. The research emphasizes that embedding psychological safety is not merely a well-being initiative but a vital strategic approach to enhance organizational agility amid ongoing global disruptions. Future studies should quantitatively validate these relationships and explore leadership styles’ roles in fostering psychological safety, ensuring sustainable supply chain resilience and workforce well-being.