This paper reviews research on occupational stressors and strains amongst academics working in UK universities. A brief history of research conducted in this eld in the USA, Australia and the UK is provided. Four major themes are considered: (a) the prevalence of self-reported occupational stress and strain; (b) the features of academic work that are potentially stressful; (c) the impact of these stressors; and (d) observed differences between gender, age and grade. Studies reviewed here suggest that, in comparison to other professionals and community samples, academic staff experience less job satisfaction and extremely low levels of psychological health. Potential explanations for the rise in levels of self-reported stressors and strains are explored, as are the implications of the research ndings reported here. Some recommendations for future research are highlighted.

Research findings from several countries suggest that academic work has become comparatively stressful, with potentially serious consequences for the workforce and the quality of higher education. This article reports the findings of a study that examined work demands, work-life balance and wellbeing in UK academic staff. Job demands and levels of psychological distress were high and working during evenings and weekends was commonplace. Most academics surveyed, however, were at least moderately satisfied with their jobs. Work-life balance was generally poor and most respondents wished for more separation between their work and home lives. Academics who reported more work-life conflict and perceived a greater discrepancy between their present and ideal levels of work-life integration tended to be less healthy, less satisfied with their jobs, and more likely to have seriously considered leaving academia. On the whole, academics that perceived Gail Kinman, PhD, is affiliated with the Department of Psychology, University of Luton, Luton Bedfordshire. Fiona Jones, PhD, is affiliated with the School of Psychology, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. more control over their work, more schedule flexibility and more support from their institutions had a better work-life balance. These factors, however, failed to moderate the relationship between work demands and perceptions of conflict between work and home.

Although teaching has been described as a profoundly emotional activity, little is known about the emotional demands faced by teachers or how this impacts on their well-being. This study examined relationships between 'emotional labour', burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment) and job satisfaction in a sample of UK teachers. Also examined was whether workplace social support moderated any relationships found between emotional labour and strain. The relationship between job experience and emotional labour was also investigated. Six hundred and twenty-eight teachers working in secondary schools in the UK completed questionnaires. Significant associations were observed between emotional labour and all outcomes, with a positive relationship found between emotional labour and personal accomplishment. Some evidence was found that social support mitigates the negative impact of emotional demands on emotional exhaustion, feelings of personal accomplishment and job satisfaction. More experienced teachers reported higher levels of emotional labour. Findings highlight the need for teacher-training programmes to raise awareness of the emotional demands of teaching and consider ways to enhance emotion regulation skills in experienced as well as recently qualified staff.

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This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractThis longitudinal study examined relations between personality and cognitive vulnerabilities and the outcomes of a respite from work. A sample of 77 academic employees responded to week-level measures of affective well-being before, during, and on two occasions after an Easter respite. When academics were classified as being either high or low in a self-critical form of perfectionism (doubts about actions) a divergent pattern of respite to post-respite effects was revealed. Specifically, during the respite, the two groups of academics experienced similar levels of well-being. However, during post-respite working weeks, the more perfectionistic academics reported significantly higher levels of fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and anxiety. The greater deterioration in well-being experienced by perfectionist academics when first returning to work was mediated by their tendency for perseverative cognition (i.e., worry and rumination) about work during the respite itself. These findings support the view that the self-critical perfectionist vulnerability is activated by direct exposure to achievement-related stressors and manifested through perseverative modes of thinking.Key words: perfectionism, recovery, well-being, burnout, worry, rumination (Eden, 2001). Extant research suggests that vacation-length respites from work are associated with an increase in employee well-being that tends to fade out within the first few weeks of work resumption (de Bloom et al., 2009(de Bloom et al., , 2010Fritz & Sonnentag, 2006). In addition, the ability to recover during briefer respites, such as evenings and weekends, has been associated with enhanced well-being and job performance on subsequent work days (Cropley & Millward Purvis, 2003;Fritz & Sonnentag, 2005).Despite recent advances in our understanding of employee recovery from a psychological perspective, some important issues remain underexplored. First, there has been little attention paid to personality variables that might influence a person's propensity to maintain any benefits accrued during time away from work. We propose that focusing on maladaptive personality dimensions (such as self-critical perfectionism) would help to identify those workers who gain fewer benefits from respites, and provide guidance on the types of intervention that might enhance leisure time experiences. A related issue concerns the nature of poor psychological detachment from work during leisure time. Researchers have tended to operationalize this construct as the degree to which employees think about work Academics' Experiences of a Respite 3 during a respite period (e.g., Copley et al., 2006; Etzion, Eden, & Lapidot, 1998;Sonnentag & Fritz, 2007). However, some studies have demonstrated that reflecting positively about work during leisure time is beneficial for well-being (Binnewies, Sonnentag, & Mojza, 2009;Fritz & Sonnentag, 2005, 2006. Thu...

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An individual's beliefs in relation to stress are likely to affect their perceptions, and hence their workrelated actions (such as absenteeism). In this paper, lay representations of work stress were investigated utilising semi-structured interviews with 45 individuals from a range of occupations. The meaning of occupational stress, its antecedents and outcomes, and ways by which it may be managed were examined. Dominant factors were established through the use of thematic content analysis. Similarities and differences were found between lay and professional discourses on work stress. Results indicate that lay representations of occupational stress are multi-faceted. Little consensus was found in how participants interpreted the concept: a diverse range of personal, environmental, and societal factors was highlighted. A different (and arguably more complex) range of definitions of job stress and the manner in which it impacts on individuals was revealed than has been reported in previous studies. The causes of stress at work were perceived as being predominantly organisational, but the impact of stress on the employee was more salient than organisational outcomes. Paradoxically, secondary and tertiary stress management techniques were thought to be more effective than interventions designed to prevent stress at work. Interviewees with line management responsibility were more likely to emphasise individual responsibility for managing stress, most others maintained that the individual and the organisation are equally responsible. The potential value of examining lay representations of job stress to the discipline of Occupational Health Psychology is discussed and suggestions for future research are made.

Introduction: Presenteeism is defined as continuing to attend work during illness. As a growing health concern, awareness of the factors that encourage presenteeism and the risks of this behaviour is needed. Sources of data: A narrative review of research obtained via several databases, including Medline and Psycinfo, was conducted. Areas of agreement: A range of contextual and individual factors is associated with presenteeism. Workers in some sectors, such as healthcare, appear to be at greater risk. Presenteeism may facilitate rehabilitation and recovery but it can exacerbate existing health problems and increase the risk of subsequent illness and absence as well as impair workability. Areas of controversy: The incidence of sickness presenteeism is rising, alongside reductions in absenteeism. The growing awareness of the costs of presenteeism, especially in safetycritical environments, suggests that it should be considered a risk-taking behaviour and carefully measured and managed. Growing points and areas for developing research: Measuring presenteeism as well as absenteeism will provide more accurate information about employee health. Raising awareness of the risks of working while sick and the economic, moral, cultural and social pressures on employees to do so appears crucial. Systemic interventions to manage presenteeism based on research evidence are required.