Self-endangering Work Behaviour of Polish School Principals During the Coronavirus Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the work-related demands grew dramatically for school principals, and many experienced overwork, pressure, and stress. An adopted form of a coping reaction by workers who experience large workloads and strong demands for self-organisation has been conceptualised as self-endangering work behaviour (SEWB). This study focuses on three SEWB subscales: work extensification, work intensification, and the reduction in the quality of work among Polish school principals during COVID-19. The results come from an online survey conducted between June and December 2021. The study revealed that SEWBs were associated with respondents’ wellbeing, mental and physical exhaustion, and psychosomatic complaints. The presented study contributes to the limited literature on Polish school principals’ SEWB during the pandemic. Our findings could be a baseline for policymakers for the prevention of overwork and burnout in Polish school principals.