Reconceptualizing Faculty Well-Being in the Post-Pandemic University: The Structural Role of Work Modality and Work–Life Balance

The reorganization of academic work following the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified debate regarding the effects of work modality on faculty well-being, particularly in Latin American contexts characterized by structural inequalities and digital divides. This study examines the influence of work modality on the integrated well-being of university faculty in Peru. A quantitative, non-experimental explanatory design was employed with a sample of 448 faculty members from public and private universities. Occupational well-being and quality of life were assessed using validated instruments and subsequently integrated into a higher-order construct due to the absence of discriminant validity. Structural relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping (5000 resamples). The results indicate that work modality significantly predicts integrated well-being (β = 0.823; p < 0.001), although the model explains a limited proportion of variance (R² = 0.168). Comparative analysis revealed that faculty in in-person modality report significantly higher levels of well-being and quality of life than those in virtual modality. These findings suggest that work modality operates as a structural condition shaping faculty well-being and highlight the need for institutional policies that promote balanced and human-centered work designs in higher education.