Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic brought health and “wellness” into sharp focus, but conversations about mental health and burnout were already circulating in Higher Education (HE) before the pandemic. This paper aims to investigate the impact of the pandemic on the psycho-social well-being of academics in a South African university.

This discussion is part of a larger study focused on how academics in a traditionally contact-based University in South Africa transitioned to the “new norm” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative study consisted of seven Zoom-based focus groups performed in a single College in October 2021. The focus groups comprised academics at all levels.

Participants extensively commented on the pandemic's emotional, psychological and social impacts. Even if participants were initially pleased to isolate at home, amidst the fear of becoming ill, they became depressed and frustrated over time. The multitude of emotions included feeling under such pressure that they could not even take time to process events unfolding around them. Simultaneously they were expected to cope with multiple challenges while the scale of loss due to COVID-19 deaths left the fabric of their support structures ravaged. The impact on the psychosocial well-being of academics can be grouped into three categories: health factors, lack of work-life balance and the influence of the university's organisational culture.

A large part of the impact is related to anxiety, stress and feeling out of control and disempowered. The pandemic increased awareness of the need to protect one’s physical and mental health. Some academics found working from home allowed for more flexibility, including regular exercise, which improved their general health, while predictably, there were academics who fell ill with COVID-19. In such cases, equally traumatising as the illness were the debilitating long-term effects with no clear indication of how long these could last. The social impacts experienced by academics occurred at various social and organisational levels. While online applications helped maintain a sense of social presence social isolation took its toll, specifically the inability to attend graduations, weddings, funerals etc.

A major stressor was trying to maintain a work-life balance. South Africa moved to an early full lockdown (27 March 2020), and all non-essential employees were instructed to work from home. Maintaining work productivity was challenged by practical aspects such as finding a place and time to work, and maintaining an operational home: Many home helpers could not be at work; ill parents or family members needed care, and domestic chores required attention, alongside homeschooling of children.

It would be appropriate to note that some academics felt they “survived” rather than actively “managed” the change forced upon them by the pandemic. Likewise, many participants mentioned the cognitive dissonance created by the university providing information about self-care and wellness, which required time away from work while at the same time creating more work pressure.

The study did not aim to quantify the extent of experiences but rather to foreground them: To validate the experiences as they have been lived. The discourse with participants was one of managed distress and a sense of being powerless in decision-making in the workplace, interspersed with comments of gratefulness for having a job and being able to support others.

Keywords:

Psycho-social, higher education, academics, COVID-19, pandemic, mental health, wellness.