Internal inferno : a qualitative case study examining how burnout affects the job performance and job satisfaction of faculty and staff of color at higher education institutions.

Higher education professionals are experiencing burnout. Employees at higher education institutions (HEIs) have expectations to support students in various other capacities outside of higher education professionals’ job descriptions. For faculty and staff of color (FSOC) specifically, an additional layer is added to their imbalanced workload as they support students of color (SOC) while navigating predominantly White institutions as a person of color.

To explore the implications of this extra support for FSOC, this study examined the impact of burnout, job performance, and job satisfaction utilizing Weiss and Cropanzano’s (1996) affective events theory. This study sought to understand what the indicators were for FSOC experiencing burnout. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Analysis of this data revealed four themes: FSOC grapple with the inability to establish boundaries, FSOC lack the ability to resist invisible labor, FSOC feel disengaged in their roles as burnout heightens, and FSOC require the creation of resources to sustain them in their work environments.

This study identified the contributing factors of burnout, including the performance of invisible labor, a shortage of FSOC, rising enrollment rates of SOC, and inadequate support for diversity initiatives. The lack of representation and the prioritization of Whiteness in HEIs help to cultivate oppressive structures, leaving SOC feeling unsupported and searching for belonging. Recent research supports the findings about the impact of ignoring burnout and the lack of addressing FSOC concerns. The findings of this study resulted in recommendations for administration, faculty and staff, students, and student engagement and inclusivity departments to support FSOC and enhance the access for SOC. For administration, identifying ways to mandate inclusive efforts and support FSOC needs to be prioritized. Faculty, staff, and students need to advocate for FSOC and SOC, while also identifying ways to educate themselves, and FSOC and SOC need to identify ways to support one another. The final recommendation was for student engagement and inclusivity departments to implement practices that reinforce the idea that the efforts of their departments become the responsibility of the institution at large and not just their office.