Caring Too Much? Emotional Labor and Compassion Fatigue Among Faculty During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Katie Constantin (), Gemini Creason-Parker, Cynthia Werner, Elizabeth D. Jenkins, Vansa Shewakramani Hanson and Rose L. Siuta
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Katie Constantin: Oklahoma State University
Gemini Creason-Parker: Texas A&M University
Cynthia Werner: Texas A&M University
Elizabeth D. Jenkins: Texas A&M University
Vansa Shewakramani Hanson: Texas A&M University
Rose L. Siuta: The University of Akron

Research in Higher Education, 2024, vol. 65, issue 7, No 8, 1540-1560

Abstract: Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic brought abrupt changes to teaching that caused increased stress amid an already difficult time. Whether teaching remote, hybrid, or in-person, university faculty were expected to continue teaching throughout the pandemic, despite personal challenges at home. In addition, there were expectations that faculty show greater levels of compassion towards their students. Multiple articles brought attention to these struggles and questioned whether university faculty might be experiencing compassion fatigue—a state of emotional exhaustion brought on by secondary traumatic stress and characterized by a reduced capacity for empathy. Using data from a larger, longitudinal qualitative study of faculty members’ experiences during the pandemic, the present study aims to understand faculty experiences of emotional labor and compassion fatigue during this time. Unsurprisingly, most participants reported an increase in emotional labor during the early pandemic; however, roughly one in four described their emotional labor loads as unchanged or even decreased. In those cases, participants often described active disengagement practices in the workplace, or methods of “guarding one’s time.” Overall, compassion fatigue was less evident than anticipated, but there were identifiable signs of burnout among participants. This finding alone suggests a need for additional research to better conceptualize and operationalize the two terms.

Keywords: Faculty well-being; Emotional labor; Feeling rules; Compassion fatigue; Empathic distress; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11162-024-09799-2

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