Work–Life Balance and Academic Productivity Among College of Medicine Faculty During the Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The New Normal

Abstract

Background: Work and home stress, productivity, and self-care of academic medicine faculty in Spring 2021 was contrasted to faculty's experience in the Spring of 2020, both of which were relatively compared with the prepandemic period. Methods: A 93-question survey was sent to academic medicine faculty at an urban public university medical center in March 2020 and again in March 2021. Demographic, family, and academic characteristics, work distribution and productivity before and during the pandemic, perceived stress related to work and home activities, and self-care data compared with the prepandemic period were collected. Differences were assessed using chi-square or Fisher exact tests. Student t -test was used for the difference in mean values, while logistic regression was used to determine predictors of work stress. Results: Two hundred thirty-one faculty completed the survey in Spring 2020 and 118 faculty responded in Spring 2021. The proportion of faculty reporting increased work and home stress decreased in Spring 2021 compared with Spring 2020. A higher proportion of women compared with men reported increased work stress in both surveys. In Spring 2021, work stress decreased significantly for men but not for women. Home stress decreased significantly for women in Spring 2021 but remained stable for the men faculty. Research productivity increased for both genders in Spring 2021, but a greater percentage of women reported disturbed sleep and diet. There were no differences in home stress levels between genders when caring for young children. Conclusions: Men faculty are more likely to adapt to the “new normal” by lowering work stressors and increasing productivity, whereas women's continued high work stress and increased productivity may occur at the expense of decreased self-care. The challenges associated with having young children continue to affect the productivity and well-being of all faculty.

Studying U.S. college faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of severity, concerns, sources of information, preventive behaviors, barriers to work performance, and impact on work productivity

“…However, more reported a notable negative impact on conference attendance (57.1%), producing research (33.5%), and seeking grants (24.9%). Previous work reported 55.0% of faculty reported decreased productivity due to the pandemic (Delaney et al, 2021), with female faculty and those with young children indicating a greater reduction in scholarship (Krokowsky et al, 2021), stress due to scholarly productivity (Weinreich et al, 2023), and intention to leave academia (Lawson et al, 2023).…”

“…Faculty could not meet in person with colleagues, nor collect data or access materials on campus. Previous survey-based studies about faculty work during the Spring 2020 semester indicate work life satisfaction was reduced particularly among women and those with young children, and having a nondistracting home office played a role in work productivity (Aubry et al, 2020;Colcasure et al, 2021;Delaney et al, 2021;Kotini-Shah et al, 2021;Krukowski et al, 2021;Lawson et al, 2023;Weinreich et al, 2023).…”

“…A significant body of research has described faculty experiences, challenges, and responses to the pandemicrelated pivot (e.g., Belikov et al, 2021;Bdair, 2021;Colclasure et al, 2021;Culp-Roche et al, 2021;Cutri et al, 2020;Daumiller et al, 2021;Fox et al, 2020;Hebert et al, 2022;Howe et al, 2021;Johnson et al, 2020;Lee & Jung, 2021;Roy & Covelli, 2021). While limited, some research has also examined and documented their pandemic related concerns (Belikov et al, 2020;), mental health (Evanoff et al, 2020: Melnyk et al, 2021, and how the pandemic impacted their professional productivity and personal roles/lives (Aubry et al, 2020;Delaney et al, 2021;Kotini-Shah et al, 2021;Krukowski et al, 2021;MacIntyre et al, 2020;Weinreich et al, 2023). Yet, largely absent from studies of university faculty during COVID-19 is an examination of other COVID-19-related measures documented in students and the larger population such as their perceptions of the disease, sources of information, and behavioral response.…”

Challenges in Medicine, Magnified by the Pandemic: A Dual Battle for Female Physicians

“…The ripple effects of the pandemic continue to be felt; even after the first wave of the pandemic, women physicians in 2021 reported increasing amounts of work-related stress [ 14 ]. The primary objective of this study was to understand how the pandemic impacted work schedules and employment status of female physicians during the initial two years of the pandemic.…”