Multidimensional Aspects of Teachers’ Well-Being Imbalance During Remote Teaching

Remote and hybrid teaching have become enduring features of European higher education, yet their implications for teachers’ well-being are often examined in fragmented ways. This study investigated a systemic imbalance across five interdependent domains—physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and existential well-being—among Lithuanian higher education teachers, interpreted through the Job Demands–Resources framework and Self-Determination Theory. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected from 385 teachers via a structured online questionnaire that included demographic variables, 10-point imbalance ratings across the five domains, and open-ended questions. Quantitative analyses (descriptive statistics and correlational pattern exploration) were complemented by thematic analysis of teachers’ narratives. Results indicate a widespread multidimensional disruption: elevated stress and emotional exhaustion, substantial physical strain associated with inadequate home workspaces, cognitive overload linked to multi-platform teaching, reduced collegial connection, blurred work–life boundaries, and challenges to professional meaning. Strain was unevenly distributed, with higher vulnerability associated with gender and caregiving demands, early-career status, limited ergonomic conditions, and weak institutional support. The findings support a systemic interpretation in which intensified demands, reduced resources, and frustrated psychological needs jointly drive well-being imbalance. Sustainable remote/hybrid teaching therefore requires institution-level measures (workload regulation, training, ergonomic support, and boundary-setting policies) rather than reliance on individual coping alone.