Workplace Climate and STEM Faculty Women’s Job Burnout

ABSTRACT

We examine aspects of the workplace climate associated with job burnout among STEM university faculty: access to information, faculty influence in decision-making, scholarly isolation, coworker social support, and interpersonal conflict. Data were taken from a survey of faculty in STEM departments at a midsized Midwestern university (N = 117). While controlling for rank and tenure status, STEM faculty—particularly women—who reported less access to information needed to do their jobs and greater interpersonal conflict reported higher job burnout. Implications for universities, as well as therapeutic interventions for professionals working with STEM faculty or as consultants with faculty groups, are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• academia
• faculty
• job burnout
• STEM