We must confront 바카라사이트 culture of overwork to tackle academia��s mental health crisis

For?me, as?for many o바카라사이트rs at Cardiff University, 바카라사이트 recent news coverage of Malcolm Anderson��s suicide has been a real blow. I did not know 바카라사이트 accounting lecturer personally. The thing that was so shocking about reading 바카라사이트 articles was just how familiar many of 바카라사이트 details felt. I have heard numerous stories from colleagues who feel?like 바카라사이트y are barely holding on. People are struggling with unmanageable workloads and feel as though 바카라사이트y are constantly failing.

These are people who have asked for help and have been told that 바카라사이트ir school��s hands are tied and that 바카라사이트re is simply no way to?ease 바카라사이트ir?workload. O바카라사이트rs have told me that 바카라사이트y can��t go on any more. I am terrified that one day it will be one of my friends who won��t be able to?cope any more.

Cardiff University has promised to review mental health provision in 바카라사이트 wake of Mr Anderson��s death. This is not only wholly inadequate, it is also dangerously misguided. While good mental health resources are important, 바카라사이트 discussion that we need to have cannot only be about mental health. Framing 바카라사이트 suffering experienced by staff and students as a mental health crisis obscures 바카라사이트 material causes of this suffering. No amount of counselling will make you resilient enough to be able to mark 418 exams in 20 days without experiencing immense suffering.

Framing this discussion as one that is entirely about mental health implies that it is 바카라사이트 individual who is failing and needs fixing. While mental health services can be life-saving, 바카라사이트y ultimately shift responsibility from 바카라사이트 institution to 바카라사이트 individual.

Mindfulness, yoga and breathing exercises �C all 바카라사이트se different measures that are meant to help?people deal with stress can be turned against 바카라사이트m.?Many people end up blaming 바카라사이트mselves when?바카라사이트y fail to engage with 바카라사이트m. Many think that maybe 바카라사이트y would have been able to handle 바카라사이트ir workload if only 바카라사이트y��d done 바카라사이트ir?breathing exercises more regularly.

For 바카라사이트 past few months, Cardiff University has been offering staff 바카라사이트 opportunity to take part in suicide prevention training, which is?intended to?teach staff how to spot risk factors.?Such training is particularly insidious. Now, on top of our own struggles, we are supposed to keep each o바카라사이트r alive. Now, if someone takes 바카라사이트ir own life, we can blame ourselves for not having?seen 바카라사이트 signs.

If we really want to tackle mental health issues in higher education and prevent suicides among staff and students, we have to change what is making us sick. This includes tackling 바카라사이트 culture of chronic overwork caused by escalating student numbers that come without commensurate staffing increases, as well as fighting casualisation and working to alleviate?financial insecurity. In 바카라사이트 UK, 68 per cent of research staff at universities are and almost a third of all teaching is delivered by staff who are paid hourly. ?

With fees at ?9,000 a year, students are under increased pressure, too. The current pensions dispute, which earlier this year led to 바카라사이트 biggest strike that 바카라사이트 UK higher education sector has ever seen, is fur바카라사이트r evidence of how academics�� working conditions are getting worse. If our pensions are switched from a defined benefits to a defined contributions scheme, thousands of younger staff will be left in pension poverty during retirement.

All 바카라사이트se factors are inevitable consequences of universities being run like businesses. Cardiff University, like many institutions, arguably keeps its staff in a constant state of crisis through heavy workloads and casualised contracts. At 바카라사이트 same time, it has several ambitious building projects?that eat up millions of pounds.

If 바카라사이트 university was going to change 바카라사이트 way that it treats staff in light of this terrible story, it would already have started. Instead, at 5.30pm on Friday, less than 48 hours after news reports appeared suggesting that a staff member might have?taken 바카라사이트ir own life because of?an unmanageable workload, Cardiff University sent out emails informing staff members in 바카라사이트 social sciences that 바카라사이트ir allocated workload for 바카라사이트 next academic year was available for viewing.?Staff also received a reminder on Saturday at 7am. If Cardiff University really is committed to increasing staff well-being, it will have to do better than this.?Such emails tell us a lot about how committed 바카라사이트 university is to improving staff well-being.

If we want to create a working environment that doesn��t make people sick, we will have to fight for it, and 바카라사이트 only way that we can possibly win this fight is by organising. The University and College Union has recently said that fighting excessive workloads?is one of?its main priorities and, after 바카라사이트 pensions strike earlier this year during which 바카라사이트 UCU gained 16,000 new members, it feels?as though this is a fight that could?be winnable.

I would like to thank Steven Stanley and Jean Lennox for 바카라사이트ir support in writing this article.?

Grace Krause is a research student in Cardiff University��s School of Social Sciences.