Browsing by Author "Tuominen, Riikka"

Objective of the study Work stress affects teachers mental and physical well-being, increases costs and sick leave, and affects work productivity. Prolonged, intense stress is associated with lower job satisfaction. The decline of teachers´ well-being also has a negative effect on students' learning. Recovery from work is important for health, ability to work and the teacher's own well-being. In today's working life, the time left for recovery has decreased and the individual must take more and more care of his or her own well-being and recovery. Successful recovery effectively prevents work demands from developing into stressors. The aim of this study was to find out which elements of work polytechnic teachers find stressful in their work, what effects they perceive as work stress, what means of recovery they have at their disposal and what things may prevent success of recovery. Methods The 22 interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis, in which they report on their own well-being, stress experiences and recovery from work as part of a broader thematic interview. The interview material has been collected since the end of 2019. Results and conclusions Polytechnic teachers perceive excessive workload, uneven workload and hurry as the most stressful elements in their own work. An examination of the effects of stress experiences showed that teachers perceive that work stress affects them above all mentally. Of the physical effects, sleep-related problems in particular were reflected in teachers' coping. An examination of the means of recovery showed that polytechnic teachers consider hobbies and social relationships to be the most important means of recovery. Most polytechnic teachers experience challenges in recovering from work. The majority of teachers feel that recovery is not enough or is only seasonal. Haste and too much work proved to be the biggest obstacles to recovery not always succeeding.