Professional burnout and increased workload during covid-19 in higher education teachers in monteria - colombia

Abstract

Introduction Faced with the global health emergency, a product of Covid-19, the educational system was forced to change its dynamics, assuming new challenges and adapting to virtual environments (Sierra, López, Azar & Trevethan, 2020). In this sense, the teaching task from home supposes an increase in the hours dedicated to their work, since they have seen the need to be trained in digital platforms to be able to respond to the changes derived from confinement; which can quietly generate professional wear and tear.ObjectivesAnalyze the relationship between professional burnout and increased workload on teachersMethodsA cross-sectional study of correlational scope was carried out in 60 (n = 60) teachers, working actively at a higher education institution. A sociodemographic scale was designed to identify the hours dedicated to work before and during confinement and to evaluate professional burnout, the adaptation of the MBI instrument for the Colombian population was used (Barbato, Córdoba, González, Martínez & Tamayo, 2011)ResultsA 50% increase in the workload of teachers was observed during confinement, besides, a statistically significant correlation between professional burnout and the increase in hours dedicated to work (Table 1)ConclusionsIt was possible to conclude that the significant increase in the workload in teachers correlates positively with levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; however, no correlations were observed between workload and personal achievement of higher education teachers.

Responding to the Forced Pivot of Higher Education Planners and Practitioners Serving Students in the Aftermath of COVID-19

“…In a study conducted to analyze the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression of educators in the north of Spain at the beginning of the academic year during the COVID-19 pandemic, 49.3% of the educators surveyed showed anxious symptomatology, 50.4% showed stress symptomatology, and 32.2% of the educators showed a certain degree of depressive symptomatology (Santamaría et al, 2021). Another study conducted in Colombia by Gonzalez et al (2021) showed that 54% of the interviewees perceive a moderate stress level while 31% perceived high stress levels. For planners and practitioners, the shift to online learning led to an increased workload, uncertainty, technical challenges, and concerns for student well-being.…”

“…In addition to additional stress on students, research has shown that the switch to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of higher education educators, particularly in the areas of workload and burnout (Gonzalez et al, 2021). In a cross-sectional study of 166 educators in Montería, Colombia, Gonzalez and colleagues found that educators experienced an increase in workload during the pandemic, which was associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment.…”

UK higher education staff's mental health and wellbeing during Covid-19

“…Specifically, in the US, Peacock (2022) found that more than half of the staff had greater stress and anxiety, and in other countries in Europe, HE staff suffered a great deal of stress due to the pandemic (Kundu et al, 2022). The UK case is also similar to Colombia (Gonzalez et al, 2021) and Finland (Laukkala et al, 2021), where evidence suggests that the increased workload resulted in elevated HE staff stress levels, as well as to South Africa, where cutting off social ties impacted HE staff's wellbeing and mental health (Olawale et al, 2021). On the other hand, our results disagree with Dinu et al (2021) conclusion that academic wellbeing levels were not significantly predicted by workload increases, as staff in our study reported the increased workload as a primary cause for stress and anxiety, significantly harming their wellbeing.…”

“…In the meantime, HE staff had to adjust to online teaching and increased workload, further impacting their wellbeing and mental health. Gonzalez et al (2021) analysed the relationship between professional burnout and increased workload on academics in Colombia during the pandemic and discovered a 50% increase in their workload. They concluded that the significant increase in the workload of academics correlates positively with levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation.…”

The role of teaching processes in turnover intentions, risk of burnout, and stress during COVID-19: a case study among Finnish University teacher educators

“…Hypothesis: According to previous research (Gonzalez et al, 2021;Santamaría et al, 2021;Arrona-Palacios et al, 2022) university teachers' stress, anxiety, and burnout increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and the intention to leave the teaching career has increased due the COVID-19 pandemic among school teachers (Collie, 2022;Zamarro et al, 2022). Furthermore, previous research shows that university teachers' experiences of stress and burnout have been shown to predict turnover intention among HE professionals (Winfield and Paris, 2021).…”