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Dear colleagues, The University of Ottawa's faculty union has just published a report which will be of interest to many of us as it describes the stress levels experienced by their members during the pandemic. The findings are pretty grim: "Overall, comments provided by members speak to an unsustainable situation. Some respondents do speak to their current capacities to complete work, but most speak to overlapping challenges that add up to increased burden, stress, etc. Whether members feel that the situation now (following the Winter 2020 semester) is manageable, or that it is (still) extremely stressful, the prospect of future work under similar conditions is ominous. In various contexts (as a Chair or program director, a parent, a researcher working within a consortium/a grant timeline/a lab, a graduate supervisor; a member of a visible minority) members feel at a breaking point and several expressly indicated that burnout is inevitable for themselves and fellow members. Responses indicated specifically the fact that the increased workload brought about by the pandemic conditions has caused members to experience significant stress, if not also exhaustion.” Take care, Enda
Enda Brophy
Associate Professor | School of Communication Acting Director | Labour Studies Simon Fraser University | HC 3559 515 W Hastings St, Vancouver V6B 5K3 E: ebrophy@sfu.ca |