Analysis of Quality of Work Life Practices for Faculty Members in a Federal Institute of Professional and Technological Education.
Keywords: Education and People Management; Quality of Work Life for Faculty; Federal Institute of Professional and Technological Education.
RESENDE, Ana Maria Rodrigues de. Analysis of Quality of Work Life Practices for Faculty Members in a Federal Institute of Professional and Technological Education. 2025. Qualification Project (Doctorate in Education). Institute of Education, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ. 2025. Health, understood as physical, mental, and social well-being, is crucial to working conditions and quality of life, especially for faculty members in public institutions. This professional group frequently faces challenges that affect their overall well-being, with health impacts reverberating across all spheres of life and the world of work. Recent transformations, marked by a conservative modernization, have worsened working conditions, leading to increased absenteeism, workplace accidents, and illnesses— particularly mental health-related leaves in the public sector. Added to this is the challenge of strengthening federal educational institutions by overcoming the fragmentation of actions. This study focuses on the institutional practices of Quality of Work Life (QWL) related to the health and well-being of faculty members at the Instituto Federal Goiano (IF Goiano). The main objective is to analyze these practices, specifically: to diagnose working conditions, socio-professional relationships, and sources of well-being/distress based on the 2022 institutional survey; to understand the concept of QWL from the faculty's perspective; to identify the structural aspects of this understanding; and to analyze the alignment between the actions implemented at IF Goiano (2022–2025) and the demands identified. Furthermore, the study seeks to highlight effective practices to address institutional gaps and achieve a more comprehensive and effective QWL for faculty members. This research is characterized as an exploratory-descriptive case study, applied in nature and adopting a mixedmethods (qualitative and quantitative) approach within the field of Education. It is based on the premise that the analysis of faculty well-being must be holistic, recognizing the inseparability between quality of life and quality of work life. Well-being or distress in the workplace directly affects areas such as health, family life, social engagement, and leisure. While not all factors of quality of life are within institutional control, educational management plays a key role in promoting healthy environments, analyzing and supporting faculty members in a comprehensive manner within institutional limits. The theoretical framework addresses QWL in the federal public service, drawing on the works of Limongi-França, Walton, Fernandes, and Ferreira, who examine the relationships between organizational conditions, health, and the meaning of work. Regarding the teaching profession, authors such as Oliveira, Ferreira, and Mendes highlight the physical and emotional strain faced by faculty. QWL management is analyzed based on the perspectives of Lacomblez, Dejours, and Ferreira, who advocate for institutional policies that recognize work as both a source of fulfillment and suffering, demanding care and appreciation. The study focuses on the career of Basic, Technical, and Technological Education (EBTT) faculty, whose responsibilities encompass teaching, research, outreach, innovation, and management. While this multifunctionality broadens their contributions, it also intensifies challenges such as workload, work-life balance, and mental health. Understanding this profession is essential to QWL, as it connects institutional demands to subjective experiences, requiring integrated management and appreciation strategies. It is believed that such initiatives have contributed to reducing illness rates, sick leave due to occupational health issues, absenteeism, and presenteeism among faculty. Moreover, these outcomes may reflect a recognition of the professional and human value of faculty members, expressed through greater engagement, more assertive actions, improved quality of deliverables, and strengthened interpersonal relationships within the institutional environment. RESENDE, Ana Maria Rodrigues de. Analysis of Quality of Work Life Practices for Faculty Members in a Federal Institute of Professional and Technological Education. 2025. Qualification Project (Doctorate in Education). Institute of Education, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ. 2025. Health, understood as physical, mental, and social well-being, is crucial to working conditions and quality of life, especially for faculty members in public institutions. This professional group frequently faces challenges that affect their overall well-being, with health impacts reverberating across all spheres of life and the world of work. Recent transformations, marked by a conservative modernization, have worsened working conditions, leading to increased absenteeism, workplace accidents, and illnesses— particularly mental health-related leaves in the public sector. Added to this is the challenge of strengthening federal educational institutions by overcoming the fragmentation of actions. This study focuses on the institutional practices of Quality of Work Life (QWL) related to the health and well-being of faculty members at the Instituto Federal Goiano (IF Goiano). The main objective is to analyze these practices, specifically: to diagnose working conditions, socio-professional relationships, and sources of well-being/distress based on the 2022 institutional survey; to understand the concept of QWL from the faculty's perspective; to identify the structural aspects of this understanding; and to analyze the alignment between the actions implemented at IF Goiano (2022–2025) and the demands identified. Furthermore, the study seeks to highlight effective practices to address institutional gaps and achieve a more comprehensive and effective QWL for faculty members. This research is characterized as an exploratory-descriptive case study, applied in nature and adopting a mixedmethods (qualitative and quantitative) approach within the field of Education. It is based on the premise that the analysis of faculty well-being must be holistic, recognizing the inseparability between quality of life and quality of work life. Well-being or distress in the workplace directly affects areas such as health, family life, social engagement, and leisure. While not all factors of quality of life are within institutional control, educational management plays a key role in promoting healthy environments, analyzing and supporting faculty members in a comprehensive manner within institutional limits. The theoretical framework addresses QWL in the federal public service, drawing on the works of Limongi-França, Walton, Fernandes, and Ferreira, who examine the relationships between organizational conditions, health, and the meaning of work. Regarding the teaching profession, authors such as Oliveira, Ferreira, and Mendes highlight the physical and emotional strain faced by faculty. QWL management is analyzed based on the perspectives of Lacomblez, Dejours, and Ferreira, who advocate for institutional policies that recognize work as both a source of fulfillment and suffering, demanding care and appreciation. The study focuses on the career of Basic, Technical, and Technological Education (EBTT) faculty, whose responsibilities encompass teaching, research, outreach, innovation, and management. While this multifunctionality broadens their contributions, it also intensifies challenges such as workload, work-life balance, and mental health. Understanding this profession is essential to QWL, as it connects institutional demands to subjective experiences, requiring integrated management and appreciation strategies. It is believed that such initiatives have contributed to reducing illness rates, sick leave due to occupational health issues, absenteeism, and presenteeism among faculty. Moreover, these outcomes may reflect a recognition of the professional and human value of faculty members, expressed through greater engagement, more assertive actions, improved quality of deliverables, and strengthened interpersonal relationships within the institutional environment.