Mitigating Faculty Burnout Through Rapport and Out-Of-Class Communication with Students

Faculty burnout is a pervasive concern for higher education institutions, with instructors reporting heightened exhaustion, increased cynicism toward the workplace, and reduced task efficacy. This study examines the potential of instructor-student rapport and out-of-class communication (OCC) as resources to mitigate faculty burnout, using the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model as a guiding framework. The results reveal that strong instructor-student rapport significantly reduces burnout, while OCC offers additional support. These findings highlight the importance of fostering relational dynamics between faculty and students as a proactive strategy to address burnout and elevate faculty well-being, satisfaction, and retention in higher education.