Understanding the Intersection of Working from Home and Burnout to Optimize Post-COVID19 Work Arrangements in Radiation Oncology

Purpose: To evaluate burnout in an academic radiation oncology program after the workforce shifted to working from home all or part of the time to better understand the impact of remote work and if it is sustainable after the COVID-19 virus abates. Methods and Materials: In May 2020, in the midst of work-safe policies in the state and stabilizing COVID-19 case numbers, the Qualtrics-based MiniZ burnout survey was amended to include questions related to COVID-19 and working from home and was emailed to all radiation oncology employees across 3 departments: radiation oncology, radiation physics, and experimental radiation oncology. Descriptive and χ² statistics were calculated within Qualtrics using StatIQ to evaluate factors associated with burnout and positive work from home experience. Results: Five hundred seventy-five employees completed the survey. Aggregating 3 responses that indicate having some degree of burnout, the rate of burnout across the cohort was 32%. For the same survey questions administered a year earlier, burnout rate was reported to be 40%. In the current survey, radiation oncology faculty and therapists had the highest reported burnout rates, at 47% and 44%, respectively (P =.031). The majority of employees working from home at least part of the time reported the experience was positive (74%, 323/436), and feeling positive about working from home was associated with reduced burnout (P =.030). Qualitative data review suggested the main drivers of unfavorable work-from-home responses were child/family care issues and information technology issues. Conclusions: Burnout was not increased during the emerging COVID-19 period compared with pre-COVID data. The shift to working from home was positive for most of the workforce and a potential benefit in reducing burnout for many staff groups. Maintaining work-from-home options post COVID-19 may help reduce burnout long term. It is important to personalize options for those unable to work effectively from home and to resolve information technology challenges to ensure functionality.