Creating spaces of well-being in academia to mitigate academic burnout: a collaborative auto-ethnography

Abstract

Purpose

In contrast to prior studies examining burnout in academic employees, this paper explores how academic employee agency mitigates burnout risks in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and how this agency facilitates research productivity and influences well-being in the face of changes in learning and teaching practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use collaborative auto-ethnography (CAE) in the higher education (HE) sector to probe how an employee productivity group supported the group's members during the pandemic.

Findings

Thematic analysis revealed four emerging themes: burnout, beneficial habits for research productivity, blocking-out-time and belonging. The authors' findings suggest that by acknowledging and legitimising employee-initiated groups, feelings of neglect can be combatted. Purposeful employee groups have the potential to create a therapeutic, safe space and, in addition to the groups' productivity intent, diminish the negative effects of a crisis on organisational effectiveness.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by utilising a CAE approach to provide greater insight into how academics enact agency by creating digital research workspaces, attending to the spatial dimensions of well-being especially during turbulent times.

Citation

de Villiers Scheepers, M., Williams, P., Schaffer, V., Grace, A., Walling, C., Campton, J., Hands, K., Fisher, D., Banks, H., Loth, J. and Scheelings, A. (2023), "Creating spaces of well-being in academia to mitigate academic burnout: a collaborative auto-ethnography", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 569-587. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-04-2023-0065