Teacher exhaustion: remote work and return to in-person teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: To identify feelings of exhaustion and their relationship with remote work and the return to in-person teaching among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This was an analytical, cross-sectional, quantitative e-survey conducted with 703 teachers from the state public education system between April and July 2022. Participants were recruited using the respondent-driven sampling method, in which participants referred other participants. A structured instrument was used to collect variables related to socioeconomic characteristics, feelings of exhaustion, remote work, and the return to in-person teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, applying Pearson’s chi-square test with a significance level of 95% (p < 0.05). The study was approved by a research ethics committee. Results: Most teachers reported feeling exhausted most of the time or always during remote work because they had to divide their time between teaching and other activities (n = 190; 55.1%). In addition, workplace furniture and equipment were considered inadequate for work demands (n = 111; 75.5%). It was also found that some teachers had not received training for the new work format (n = 33; 67.3%), and many lacked the necessary technological resources (n = 48; 92.3%). During the return to in-person teaching, lack of mask provision (n = 300; 45.3%) and changes to the school’s physical structure (n = 224; 55.3%) were associated with feelings of exhaustion. Conclusion: Feelings of exhaustion were observed during both remote work and the return to in-person teaching, with concerning effects on teachers’ health. The findings highlight the need to regulate remote work and implement measures to promote and protect teachers’ health during crisis situations.