Health and wellbeing of staff working at higher education institutions globally during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period: evidence from a cross-sectional study BMC Public Health Springer Nature Link

In a nutshell, empirical studies should be conducted in order to guarantee the mediator role of the variables of the study such as teacher optimism and self-efficacy on teacher well-being, and similar studies can be conducted to consider the same issue by focusing on learners. The optimistic behavior of teachers can enhance positivity in learners, and it may assist them in looking at a different side of an issue even during demanding conditions and dealing with them efficiently (Hasnain, 2014). Moreover, educators and learners will attain their learning goals when the process of learning is interesting and the interpretation of condition demonstrates that teachers’ well-being has been related to positive students’ learning outcomes (Baumeister et al., 2003). Teacher educators should try to address teacher wellbeing; they could assist them to manage their lessons and preliminary teaching practices, and provide them with tactics to thrive in their career in the long run (Birchinall et al., 2019; Han, 2021b). The teachers with the more intellectual optimistic level are more likely to define the direction as delivered in their colleges in a planned design, which concentrates on the aspirations of the college. Moreover, by boosting optimism in teacher training programs, comprehensive instructive schemes should be conducted in a way to improve the level of well-being of novice and professional teachers.

In 2020 the work of Workstream 6 of the Covid Education Recovery Group (CERG) led to the introduction of wellbeing support for education staff in response to the pandemic. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, national pilots, developed with professional associations, had already been planned to support the wellbeing of education staff. The report aims to present the findings and recommendations of a five-month collaborative project into how the wellbeing of the education workforce is currently being supported by local authorities (LAs).

education workforce wellbeing

Study design and settings

education workforce wellbeing

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A 2022 C-Suite study by Deloitte supports these findings, reporting that 30% of workers surveyed cited a heavy workload and job stress as the reasons they wouldn’t take PTO.5 The evolution of the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic may have also accelerated the pace and amount of work expected. The RAND survey also found that compared to their colleagues with 20 or more years of classroom experience, mid-career teachers were more likely to report symptoms of depression, frequent job-related stress, feeling less resilient, and less able to cope. Districts and school leaders better move fast because, according to a new RAND Corporation survey, teachers and principals are experiencing job-related stress at a rate about twice that of the Tackling teacher wellness in schools general population of working adults.

education workforce wellbeing

Using AI to support staff wellbeing in education

  • This may not only have implications for the organizations, but it also could impact society at large.
  • To truly support the workforce, policy, research, and practice need to fully identify both positive and negative indicators of mental health and well-being together, which includes individual and environmental factors to address educators’ needs, policy needs, and practice.
  • Attendant staff turnover and educator stress threaten to undermine the achievement of intended policy goals.

Post COVID it has not got any better, with many staff working extremely hard to support the students they serve. As a Deputy Headteacher during the COVID pandemic, I recall the heightened anxiety among staff. The union advocates for systemic change, calling on policymakers to take urgent action to safeguard the mental health of educators. This research underscores the importance of investing in leadership development and providing mental health resources for those in senior roles.

education workforce wellbeing

An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with staff at HE institutions across 16 countries. The ongoing global crisis of Higher Education (HE) institutions during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period has increased the likelihood of enduring psychological stressors for staff. This is a critical group as quality field placements are often hard to come by, and enrollment in teacher education programs is low.