Work-Life Balance and Academic Productivity Among College of Medicine Faculty During the Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The New Normal

Heather M Weinreich; Pavitra Kotini-Shah; Bernice Man; Ruth Pobee; Laura E Hirshfield; Barbara J Risman; Irina A Buhimschi

doi:10.1089/whr.2023.0007

Work-Life Balance and Academic Productivity Among College of Medicine Faculty During the Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The New Normal

Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2023 Jul 18;4(1):367-380. doi: 10.1089/whr.2023.0007. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Heather M Weinreich¹, Pavitra Kotini-Shah², Bernice Man³, Ruth Pobee², Laura E Hirshfield⁴, Barbara J Risman⁵, Irina A Buhimschi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
⁴ Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
⁵ Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
⁶ Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Abstract

Background: Work and home stress, productivity, and self-care of academic medicine faculty in Spring 2021 was contrasted to faculty's experience in the Spring of 2020, both of which were relatively compared with the prepandemic period.

Methods: A 93-question survey was sent to academic medicine faculty at an urban public university medical center in March 2020 and again in March 2021. Demographic, family, and academic characteristics, work distribution and productivity before and during the pandemic, perceived stress related to work and home activities, and self-care data compared with the prepandemic period were collected. Differences were assessed using chi-square or Fisher exact tests. Student t-test was used for the difference in mean values, while logistic regression was used to determine predictors of work stress.

Results: Two hundred thirty-one faculty completed the survey in Spring 2020 and 118 faculty responded in Spring 2021. The proportion of faculty reporting increased work and home stress decreased in Spring 2021 compared with Spring 2020. A higher proportion of women compared with men reported increased work stress in both surveys. In Spring 2021, work stress decreased significantly for men but not for women. Home stress decreased significantly for women in Spring 2021 but remained stable for the men faculty. Research productivity increased for both genders in Spring 2021, but a greater percentage of women reported disturbed sleep and diet. There were no differences in home stress levels between genders when caring for young children.

Conclusions: Men faculty are more likely to adapt to the "new normal" by lowering work stressors and increasing productivity, whereas women's continued high work stress and increased productivity may occur at the expense of decreased self-care. The challenges associated with having young children continue to affect the productivity and well-being of all faculty.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; academic medicine faculty; gender; health sciences; work–life balance.