Systematic literature review on balancing work-life integration for educators in online learning models in Africa

The rapid transition to online learning across Africa has led to work-life integration becoming a significant challenge for the continent’s teachers. This paper investigates the challenges that faculty members face, evaluates how well HR rules facilitate work-life balance, and recommends best practices for establishing green online classrooms. A comprehensive literature analysis of the current literature on work-life integration challenges, human resource policies, and successful practices for educators in an online learning context across Africa is presented in this paper. Books, institutional reports, and peer-reviewed journal articles, published from 2020 onwards, were included, identified, analysed, and synthesised under the review process. A qualitative content analysis revealed patterns, motifs and literary gaps. In this study, secondary data sources empirical studies, institutional reports, policy document, and case studies of work-life integration of educators in digital education were used. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of current knowledge and guide pragmatic recommendations, data were systematically extracted from academic sources including Google Scholar, Scopus, and institutional repositories. The findings highlighted that increased workload, blurred work-home boundaries, and lack of institutional support are major stressors for teachers. To address these problems, this paper emphasises the importance of flexibility in work schedules, healthcare on mental health and investment in digital infrastructure opportunities. Structured HR rules, financial incentives and frequent evaluations are part of recommendations, designed to lift the well-being of faculty and improve their instructional performance. Following this, the current study is expected to contribute to the theoretical framework of work-life balance in the digital education process and present guiding approaches to institutional legislators. Future studies should focus on comparative studies of various educational environments and the long-term effects of HR policies.