Teacher Teleworking during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Association between Work Hours, Work-Family Balance and Quality of Life

Background: Teachers worldwide had to reinvent their work routine according to teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic, a work format that negatively impacts individuals' physical and mental health. This study evaluates the association between work hours, work-family balance and quality of life (QoL) among teachers during the Chilean health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers from across Chile were contacted via email and social media to answer an online survey. QoL was evaluated via the SF-36 questionnaire, work hours and work-family balance in the pandemic. A total of 336 teachers from across Chile participated in this study. Teachers had a low QoL score, associated with age (p < 0.05). Teachers who were <= 44 showed lower deterioration risks in the Physical Component Summary (OR: 0.54) than the >= 45-year-old age group; simultaneously, the younger group (<= 44 years) had a greater risk (OR: 2.46) of deterioration in the Mental Component Summary than teachers over 45 years. A total of 78.7% of teachers reported having increased their work hours during the COVID-19 pandemic due to teleworking and 86% indicated negative effects on their work-family balance. Pandemic work hours and negative work-family balance increase the risk of reducing the Mental Component Summary (OR: 1.902; OR: 3.996, respectively). Teachers presented low median QoL scores, especially in the Mental Component Summary, suggesting that it would be beneficial to promote a better workload distribution for teachers in emergency contexts, considering the adverse effects of teleworking.

Automated summary

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile, teachers experienced low quality of life, particularly in the Mental Component Summary, with younger teachers (<44 years) showing a greater risk of mental health deterioration compared to older teachers. Increased work hours and negative work-family balance due to teleworking were found to be associated with a higher risk of reducing the Mental Component Summary.