The role of the department chair is considered one of the most thankless jobs in higher education, but there is surprisingly little research on the daily work-lives of faculty members serving in departmental leadership roles. This study updates the literature by using a national sample of 3,317 associate and full professors serving in department…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how employees at a midsized public university in the U.S. South experienced working from home during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021. Most employees in higher education settings were affected by the pandemic. Administrative and clerical and support staff had to determine how to provide the…

This quantitative methodological research study explored the relationship between compassion and mattering experience from the perspective of leaders and direct reports working in administrative and support functions at a higher education institution. The following two research questions are explored: (1) What is the relationship between…

In the highly competitive research sector, performance pressure is leading to the stratification of the academic profession, and to difficulties for early-career researchers. Support is therefore vital for talent retention, and to avoid 'brain drain'. However, limited research has distinguished varying models of professional support in research…

This dissertation was designed to provide current information on the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of those identifying as women of color working in offices of academic testing. Faced with systemic oppression due to race and gender, women of color have opted in to a profession that is viewed by some as a threat and barrier to the…

This study sought to determine whether higher ed employees whose preferred work arrangements are not aligned with their actual work arrangements are more likely to look for other work. The results show that: a) nearly two-thirds of respondents report some degree of misalignment between their preferred and actual work arrangements, particularly in…

Purpose: Considering the importance of employee performance in the changes in state higher education institutions, this study aims to conceptualize the mediating role of employee engagement and empowerment in predicting employee performance. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a quantitative survey method to collect data from staff members…

This national qualitative exploratory study utilizes a critical social class lens to analyze how nontenured part-time faculty members' relationships with their tenured/tenure-track colleagues and management shape their attitudes and behaviors toward their employment in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 54 participants were…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how employees at a mid-sized public university in the South experienced working from home during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021. Most employees in higher education settings were affected in some way by the coronavirus pandemic that hit the United States in the spring of 2020.…

To date, we have the most diverse workforce in history. There currently four generations of professionals within our workforce: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Millennial and Gen Z professionals have recently overtaken Generation X and Baby Boomers as the largest generational cohort in the workforce. During this generational…

Compassion organizing has been described within positive organizational scholarship as an organization's response to pain and suffering in organizational behavior and also the ability for organizations to flourish and promote joy and fulfillment in the workplace. Compassion organizing has been examined in organizational life through the four areas…

A challenge faced in American society is satisfaction within professional work life. Although there is an abundance of research on workplace wellness, relatively few studies have focused on wellness factors that influence stress and job satisfaction of tenure-track faculty employed at universities. This study examines one area of wellness,…

Professional and support staff provide the labor that enables the very function of the university, yet they are omitted from formal governance structures. Further, their perspectives are underrepresented in the campus climate body of literature despite growing calls to incorporate staff into campus climate studies (Hart & Fellabaum, 2008;…

The purpose of this study was to describe how frontline student service professionals in Western Canadian higher education describe their personal engagement at work, through the lens of Kahn's (1990) theory of employee engagement and psychological dimensions of meaningfulness, safety, and availability. It was motivated by the prospect that…

Purpose: The main goal of this research study is to look at the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion in the association between workplace incivility and job outcomes (job stress, job satisfaction and employee turnover intentions) in the higher education sector. Design/methodology/approach: The authors gathered field data from individuals…