Managing Faculty Stress
On April 24, 2009 Barbara Ribbens, CITR faculty liaison for pedagogy, and Steve Radlo, Kinesiology, led a brainstorming session and dialogue around the question, 'How can faculty manage their stress?" The session began with identifying the sources of faculty stress and continued with a discussion of ways faculty can set up "roadblocks" or interventions at different points in a stressful situation.
Highlights and Points of Discussion I. What are sources of faculty stress? (Items brainstormed by the group.)
Students (e.g., conflict, unprepared)
Deadlines (e.g., publication, conferences, grading, course preparation)
Accreditation (e.g., meeting standards, conducting self studies, reduced academic freedom)
Grading (e.g., limited time available, fairness, being constructive)
Tenure/Promotion/PAAs (e.g., performance pressures)
Office/Department Politics (e.g., competition, hall monitors, egos)
Organization Climate (e.g., resources, attitudes, expectations)
Life (e.g., keeping work and life in balance, illness, family issues)
Accountability and Guilt (e.g., taking things personally, feeling solely responsible)
Lack of Backup or Help (e.g., feeling alone, burdened, overloaded)
Learning Curves (e.g., keeping up with change, new faculty pressures)
II. Some things to know about faculty stress:
Female faculty report more time related stress than male faculty.
Lower-ranked faculty report more stress.
62% of the time workers call in sick they are not physically ill
Based on the Demands Control Model (see Steve's Handout below), workers with HIgh Control over their jobs and High Psychological Demands have the highest job satsifaction (presumably professor fits within this category).
When compared to other fields, the job of "professor" has one of the lowest overall stress levels. But faculty stress varies by discipline, type of institution, and other factors.
A useful resource on faculty stress is Faculty Stress
III. What can you do to manage stress?
Recognize what is within and outside of your control; let go of things outside of your control.
Replace rigid thinking with flexibility.
Take steps to intervene in life situations such as changing a work schedule, taking a break, or discussing your feelings.
Change your perceptions - look for humor in situations, step back, or perceive a stressor as a "challenge."
Find your best emotional and physiological interventions - "uplifts" such as deep breathing or taking a walk.
For more ideas, see Steve's Handout below.
Handouts and Resources
