Assessment of Areas of Worklife Among Pharmacy Educators

Abstract

Objective. To assess in pharmacy academicians the six domains of worklife (community, control, fairness, reward, workload, values) that have been associated with burnout and poor job satisfaction. Methods. We aimed to assess the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) among a sample of pharmacy academicians attending a national meeting to evaluate personal, environmental, or workplace factors that may influence the worklife environment. Data were analyzed using SPSS, descriptive statistics were identified, and Kruskal-Wallis and Pearson correlations were performed. Results. The participant response rate was 40% (n549/121 attendees). Eighty-eight percent of participants reported working more than 40 hours per week. Mean AWS scores ranged from 2.7 to 3.9 (whereby 1 indicated a strong mismatch between person and work environment and 5 indicated a strong match). The workload and fairness domains had the lowest reported scores, whereas control had the highest. Higher mean scores were reported for control and reward in those with a mentor and for fairness in those having a hobby. Conclusion. Participants gave the lowest ratings to two worklife areas, workload and fairness. Developing targeted interventions, such as in mentorship, hobbies, and transparency in the work setting, may be important for preventing burnout in pharmacy academicians. Further studies in a larger population may help to determine factors associated with the areas of worklife that received low ratings.