Emotional labor, well-being, and professional development among university teachers: a qualitative study from a job demands-resources perspective

This qualitative study explores how university teachers experience and manage emotional labor in relation to their professional well-being and development. Ten teachers from a public research-oriented university took part in semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, guided by the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, emotional labor theory, and research on teacher professional development and identity. Three main themes emerged. First, institutional emotional rules and hidden pressures included expectations to be “always positive” and “always available,” the emotional effects of evaluations and performance metrics, and blurred boundaries between work and personal life. Second, navigating emotional labor described how teachers moved between surface acting, deep acting, and selective authenticity, and how these strategies provided both protection and emotional costs over time. Third, emotional labor as professional learning showed how emotionally challenging experiences became turning points, how understandings of care and responsibility changed across career stages, and how peer support and mentoring supported more sustainable ways of working. Overall, the findings suggest that universities need multi-level responses that reduce structural pressures and create shared spaces where teachers can reflect on and discuss the emotional demands of academic work.