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Measuring the Quality of Faculty and Administrative Worklife: Implications for College and University Campuses

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Abstract

There seems to be a presumption that the quality of worklife on college and university campuses has declined for faculty and administrative staff. What is not known is how generally true this is perceived to be, to what extent the quality of worklife varies by campus, and for what reasons it varies. Most importantly, it is not clear what impact the quality of worklife of faculty and staff members has on their performance or retention. The following article reviews the recent empirical literature devoted to this topic and offers a framework that conceptualizes these studies in three groups: those that describe and explore differences in the quality of worklife, those that determine the impact of worklife on attitudes, and those that attempt to explain behavioral outcomes. The implications of this work for practice and policy on college and university campuses is discussed. The author argues that campus leaders who want to improve the performance and retention of faculty and administrative staff must identify and address the particular issues that matter to those employed on their campuses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1776 University Avenue, Honolulu, HI, 98622

    Linda K. Johnsrud

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  1. Linda K. Johnsrud
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Correspondence to Linda K. Johnsrud.

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Johnsrud, L.K. Measuring the Quality of Faculty and Administrative Worklife: Implications for College and University Campuses. Research in Higher Education 43, 379–395 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014845218989

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