Well-being support in the Finnish university community: staff reflections on emerging existential dimensions

Contemporary university communities have been reshaped by changing societal expectations, the COVID-19 pandemic, and structural reforms, increasing the pace, complexity, and demands of academic work for both staff and students. These pressures disrupt existential well-being (EWB), understood as a multidimensional construct encompassing meaning, purpose, coherence, and relatedness. This study examines how university staff conceptualize well-being support in academic communities and how EWB appears in their accounts.

The study was conducted in Finnish universities representing diverse geographical locations and institutional sizes. Data consist of 14 semi-structured interviews with staff working in well-being-related expert roles. The data were analysed using a data-driven, inductive Template Analysis approach supported by Atlas.ti.

Well-being in universities was found to be supported through three interrelated domains: well-being management, pedagogical well-being, and community resilience. These form the structural basis for sustainable EWB practices but require sufficient institutional resources. Hybrid teaching and remote work challenged emotional safety and social connectedness. EWB emerged primarily from shared institutional practices, particularly teacher-student relationships and early engagement.

The study emphasizes integrating EWB into university practices by addressing both individual and collective dimensions. Structural conditions, supportive culture, and meaningful social connections are central to fostering EWB as a pedagogical and communal value.