Faculty Burn-out in the Private Business of Higher Education

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about rapid and systemic changes. Consequently, job security and employees' ability to adapt to change posed new challenges. Studies have shown that the rate of change puts tremendous pressure on organizations, especially on educational institutions, which causes additional pressure on faculty members. Due to the increase in competition between private and public universities, job burnout has been observed mainly in private universities. Working as a faculty member is burdensome due to consecutive mentally demanding activities such as teaching, marking assignments, and planning lessons. Past literature demonstrates how a lack of physical support and resources, and seclusion and stress during the pandemic can prevent the proper performance of faculty members. Therefore, we academics must address the issue of faculty burnout during and after the pandemic to alleviate adverse effects on the academic community. This study presents the consequences of burnout among faculty members. Data will be collected through structured interviews with faculty members of Canadian private universities who have experienced burnout. The Maslach questionnaire was used to identify these people; however, due to faculty members' lack of interest in talking about burnout and the low participation rate, the research will continue without using this questionnaire and through a random selection of members and interviews with them. The data will then be analyzed through a phenomenological approach. Building on previous studies, Employees who work in stressful jobs are more likely to display higher levels of burnout. Understanding how burnout affects faculty in a private Canadian university might minimize the issue.