COVID-19 and the Changing Higher Education Landscape: The Impact on Academics and Their Well-Being

Book Chapter ResearchOnline@JCU
Carter, Margaret Anne;Hutton, Vicki;Udah, Hyacinth;Francis, Abraham
Abstract

Workers’ well-being in the workplace is attributed to productivity, workplace culture, job satisfaction, and work–life balance. The higher education work context is no different, with some evidence that academic staff experience higher levels of occupational stress, mental health issues, and work-related pressures. COVID-19 has added another layer to existing pressure for academic staff. The chapter builds on the ongoing discussion of higher education academics’ about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their health and well-being and discusses the need for creating mentally healthy work environments. Adopting a qualitative content analysis method the chapter examines how academics from various universities have contributed to this discussion through their recent publications in The Conversation media outlet. These academics’ voices present emergent issues and strategic directions in response to the changing higher education landscape and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter concludes with a rationale for a longitudinal study of the mental health and well-being of academics, providing rich material to influence the development of mentally healthy, supportive, and inclusive working environments.

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Mental Health and Higher Education in Australia

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ISBN/ISSN

9789811680403

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Pages Count

21

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Publisher

Springer Singapore

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Publisher Location

Singapore

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DOI

10.1007/978-981-16-8040-3_3