Thread by @StephWheelerUNC

A week before my entire household contracted #COVID-19, I asked in a departmental leadership mtg why we weren’t talking about #burnout at all - the agenda was dominated by stressful topics & I kept muting to silence my kids screaming in the background... insidehighered.com/news/2020/09/1…

I was thinking about the fact that my 1st grader has been out of physical school for almost a year, my twin babies have barely been outside our yard, “me time” and date nights are nonexistent, and even as 24/7 work has invaded our home, I feel less and less able to be #productive

At this mtg—filled with discussion of budget cuts, grant funding drying up, pandemic-imposed challenges w/ data collection, the political assault on science, lack of diversity & inclusiveness on our campus—the weight of it all just sank me. But I was nervous to use the B word.

And then when I did raise the possibility that we’re all either already burned out or on the precipice, & that #workingparents & #POC in particular ARE NOT OK in #academia it was largely met with silence.

Burnout is a systems problem being pushed to individuals to manage.

When we were notified that our 5YO was a close contact of someone who’d tested + I knew something about what was coming: 5 tests, 3 urgent care visits, everyone symptomatic, 24 days of isolation. But although everything in my home life stopped, work didn’t.

And yet, despite being a #publichealth professional, I felt unable to pull back, initially continuing to zoom into calls that really didn’t require my input.

In academic life somehow no one takes #sickdays b/c sickness is viewed as weakness.

Some might say the #WorkTilYouDie mentality is entirely self-imposed in academia, but I think academia rewards it to the point that it selects and grooms people who refuse to stop when they need to—even when family and health demands it. To the point that it makes us sick.

There are many existential crises threatening academia right now—rejection of knowledge-based expertise, politicalization of science & research, high cost/value concerns in higher ed, lack of sustainable funding streams... but workforce burnout during #COVID19 may be most urgent

I’d like to see academic leaders relying less on individual faculty to navigate #covid19 #burnout & instead implementing strategies that benefit all: less service work, fewer mtgs, more staff support, childcare help, normalizing taking leave, sabbaticals, ⬇️expectations!
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I know I said I was done, but the silver lining in my #COVID19 story is that my amazing @UNC_Lineberger friends have kept our family fed, medicated & entertained while recovering... only 8 more days of isolation! @birkensarah @dkmayer52 @DonRosenstein @ErinEKent @Jennifer_Bowman

I’m also fortunate to have incredible support from my Chair Morris Weinberger, Cancer Ctr Director Shelley Earp & @UNCSPHdean Barbara Rimer & am tenured full prof-yet still feel intense mismatch b/t academic cultural pressure/rigidity & parenting in COVID-19 that breeds burnout