In May 2024, the Office of Faculty ADVANCEment invited all faculty at Clemson University to take part in an updated version of the climate survey, designed to provide data on faculty characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors. While questions that involved free responses are still being analyzed and will be shared separately, our office has decided to start sharing some of the results of the survey. Thus, and following the first blog post related to the demographics of the respondents, we are now reporting on burnout.
What is burnout
Burnout is a general term that refers to psychological strain resulting from unmanaged exposure to chronic, unmitigated stressors and commonly conceptualized as a syndrome consisting of three dimensions: exhaustion, depersonalization, and inefficacy.[1] The latter can also be described with feelings of negativity that ultimately affects well-being and institutional productivity. Recent articles,[2-3] ], focused on the higher education context, have linked these feelings to the increased job responsibilities that now include the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in student anxiety and mental health issues. Adding to the complexity of this problem, it is important to note that faculty members are also affected by multiple social and economic constrains, including financial benefits, job stability, and fringe benefits.[4-5]
Burnout is also a gradual process, that typically features a pattern that goes from Stage 1 (persistent irritability, anxiety, high blood pressure, insomnia, heart palpitations, concentration difficulties) to Stage 2 (excessive lateness, procrastination, excessive absences, withdrawal form friends and family, substance abuse, apathy, depression) and Stage 3 (sadness, depression, stomach problems, mental fatigue, thoughts of suicide, and possible long term health problems).[4]
How faculty at Clemson feel about burnout
The survey distributed provided faculty the opportunity to express how frequent they felt in certain ways, giving them the option to choose between never or almost never, very infrequently, quite infrequently, sometimes, quite frequently, very frequently, and always. For the sake of analysis (and not because it’s the average response), sometime responses were equally split between frequent and infrequent. Out of the responses obtained (noting that not everyone responded to all the questions), about 1/3 of the faculty members expressed high frequency of feelings related to burnout. Out of those, feeling burned out, physically drained, and tired (reported to be 4 times more frequent than not) are arguably the most concerning.
While R. Craig (Senior Contributor at Forbes) argues that these feelings can just be related to cultural aspects,[6] current research points to the high occurrence of burnout in university professors, as well as a high risk of suffering from it.[7]
In this context, it is important to mention that the results of our climate survey are certainly not unique,[8] that a large percent of faculty recognize burnout as an impediment for their success,[9] and that solving the root causes of this problem require efforts that go beyond traditional initiatives. That said, questions related to job satisfaction at Clemson have rendered mostly positive responses. For instance, and while we can reasonably expect[10-11] to find differences based on gender, identity, and years of experience, 80% of respondents are satisfied with their job at Clemson (somewhat agreed / agreed / strongly agreed). Also, and reflecting the strong participation of tenured professors in the survey, other positive aspects include job security, the discretion to choose the university committees on which they serve, course load, expected research productivity, and student load. At the bottom of the scale are, however, the time available for scholarship/research, equity of committee assignments, and institutional support for research.
At the beginning of this post we mentioned that feelings of burnout have been attributed to a combination of students demands, financial constraints, and the rising performance expectations for faculty members (in terms of teaching, research, service, and administrative burden).[2-5] The latter considers all compliance tasks (administrative rules and requirements), learning costs (time and costs individuals have to invest to learn about services provided and how to access them), and psychological costs (stress or a loss of autonomy arising from interactions with the administrative processes).[12] This is particularly important in relation to burnout, as Clemson has only two staff members per faculty, a ratio that is significantly lower than the average reported for the top institutions in the country (3.5 to 1)[13] and that may influence how faculty members allocate time,[14] during their day-to-day activities.
How to know if you need counseling due to burnout
Counseling is appropriate for anyone who is troubled by a specific problem or has a general concern. Most people are able to use existing coping skills to resolve burnout related concerns. However, if after using these skills, you are still struggling, accessing professional services is recommended. Keep in mind that all Clemson employees and their families (including spouses, dependents and other household members) have access to ComPsych (Online login instructions). This program offers a wide variety of counseling, referral and consultation services to help you navigate life’s challenges. These services are confidential as the law allows and are typically provided at low or no cost.
Do you need a break?
Worn out? Exhausted? Bleary-eyed? If you need a little something to ease your frustration and get you back in the spirit, this collection of TEDx talks can help you see things from a different perspective.
References
- Improving and Expanding Research on Burnout and Stress in the Academy
- Effective Strategies for Combating Faculty Burnout
- Antecedents, correlates and consequences of faculty burnout
- Faculty Burnout
- How do we Address Faculty Burnout? Start by Exploring Faculty Motivation
- Stop The Shouts Of Faculty Burnout
- Study of the Prevalence of Burnout in University Professors in the Period 2005–2020
- Walking Faculty Back from the Cliff
- Supporting Faculty Morale (from the Chronicle of Higher Education)
- Do Teacher Status, Gender, and Years of Teaching Experience Impact Job Satisfaction and Work Engagement?
- Teacher burnout: relations between dimensions of burnout, perceived school context, job satisfaction and motivation for teaching. A longitudinal study
- Administrative burden in higher education institutions: a conceptualisation and a research agenda
- How to Cut Administrative Bloat at U.S. Colleges
- Making time for science
Want to know more?
Please use this form to provide feedback, propose stories, or nominate a colleague to be featured (including self-nominations). If you have any questions regarding this post, please contact:
DR. CARLOS D. GARCIA
Faculty Fellow, Best Practices in Faculty Reviews
Office of Faculty ADVANCEment
cdgarci@clemson.edu