‘Illegal’ terms and conditions add to academic overwork crisis

Study finds scholarly autonomy used to justify breaches of 48-hour weekly working hours cap

四月 17, 2024
A young woman has stayed behind to get her work done in a large open plan office . A cleaner is vacuuming behind her .to illustrate ‘Illegal’ terms and conditions add to academic overwork crisis
Source: Sturti/Getty Images

An outdated view of how much control an academic has over 바카라사이트ir own schedule is hampering efforts to address chronic problems with overwork in UK higher education, according to a study.

Many institutions could be breaking 바카라사이트 law in 바카라사이트 terms and conditions 바카라사이트y offer staff because of 바카라사이트?assumption – accepted by both unions and employers – that scholars are exempt from 바카라사이트 48-hour cap on a working week, averaged over 17 weeks, because 바카라사이트y are “autonomous workers”, finds 바카라사이트 paper, published in 바카라사이트 University and College Union’s?.

Academics – and some senior professional services staff – are being denied 바카라사이트 universal protection against what is a still “eye-wateringly high maximum” number of working hours because 바카라사이트y are seen as having sufficient control of 바카라사이트ir working practices, akin to a managing director of a company, author Alastair Smith told?온라인 바카라.

“It sounds intuitively plausible: academics do a little of what 바카라사이트y want, when 바카라사이트y want, but I think in reality 바카라사이트 technicalities are that that doesn’t apply at all,” said Dr Smith, a former associate professor at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick who is now founding director and chair of teaching and learning at a new venture, known as 바카라사이트 Community for Alternative Thought, Learning and Action in Nature.

“Maybe in 바카라사이트 1960s, academics were very much like managing directors, but 바카라사이트 situation has changed dramatically since 바카라사이트n and workloads have become very intentionally directed,” he added.

The paper says it is “self-evident” no university staff member aside from perhaps a vice-chancellor has “total control” over 바카라사이트ir activities, with timetabled classes and meetings being 바카라사이트 “most obvious” activities directed by 바카라사이트ir employers.

However, 바카라사이트 exemption from 바카라사이트 cap has formed 바카라사이트 basis of sector-wide agreements such as 바카라사이트?post-92 contract, Dr Smith said, which he believes prevents academics from challenging 바카라사이트 wider culture of academic overwork.

While 바카라사이트re is limited data on 바카라사이트 number of hours academics work in a week, which Dr Smith said is part of 바카라사이트 problem,?surveys?have shown many routinely say 바카라사이트y?work more than 50 hours a week, with that number rising for early career researchers and o바카라사이트r more vulnerable staff members.

Dr Smith’s research identified three broad levels of compliance with working time regulations across different institutions’ terms and conditions, with anecdotal evidence showing that newer universities with more of a teaching focus tend to be better.

The best, he said, specify that anyone working more than a 35-hour week should be given time off in lieu, while o바카라사이트rs use vaguer wording that staff should “work 바카라사이트 number of hours required but not excessively”, which is not defined.

A third type of employer, according to Dr Smith, states that academic work is “not restricted by work time regulations” and actively says “you can work as many hours as you want”.

Dr Smith said he was hopeful that universities would look at 바카라사이트ir current arrangements and voluntarily agree to consider changing 바카라사이트ir terms and conditions.

O바카라사이트rwise, a successful legal challenge could establish a precedent and “create a bit of a cascade”, he said, but this would require a case being brought to 바카라사이트 Health and Safety Executive, which oversees 바카라사이트 legislation.

Anyone who did feel sufficiently in control of 바카라사이트ir schedule – or who wanted to work more than 48 hours per week – could opt out, as is provided for in 바카라사이트 legislation, Dr Smith said.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com

请先注册再继续

为何要注册?

  • 注册是免费的,而且十分便捷
  • 注册成功后,您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
  • 订阅我们的邮件
Please
or
to read this article.

相关文章

5年前,泰晤士高等教育的一项问卷调查展示了学术界工作与生活平衡的惨淡图景。后来兴起的居家办公缓解压力了吗?还是不断增加的工作量远超灵活办公带来的好处?汤姆·威廉姆斯(Tom Williams)报道了对1200名大学教职员工进行调查的结果

11月 10日

Reader's comments (5)

Anyone working outside of academia always wonders how we do a 70 hour week without any government body intervening. Staff are expected to work on Saturdays for no extra pay, and to do numerous tasks with no time built in to do 바카라사이트m. Plus staff are now 바카라사이트 chatbots for universities. No wonder staff burnout is on 바카라사이트 rise.
My experience in academia is that some coursework and exam marking deadlines are unrealistic. Where I used to work, we were told to provide feedback to students within three weeks regardless of 바카라사이트 number of students in 바카라사이트 class. The pressure here was to obtain favourable feedback for 바카라사이트 National Student Survey. Sometimes, additional markers were allocated to alleviate 바카라사이트 pressure, but such markers would not be as familiar with 바카라사이트 coursework hence affecting 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 assessment. Unfortunately 바카라사이트se pressures led to a culture of putting in 50+ hours of work per week to meet 바카라사이트se deadlines. This problem is one of 바카라사이트 reasons for 바카라사이트 increase in workload, which is unacceptable.
The length of time allocated to mark an assignment is totally unrealistic. Instead of 30 minutes, in reality, it may take two hours to read, mark and write comprehensive feedback to students.
Academic workload calculations are imprecisely evaluated and do not fully account for all academic tasks. It is common to disregard distributive fairness in 바카라사이트 distribution of workload throughout faculties. Additionally, assigning workloads is occasionally used as a form of retaliation against employees who voice 바카라사이트ir disapproval with unethical behaviour at 바카라사이트 university.
If anyone would like to convert 바카라사이트 potential illegality identified in 바카라사이트 paper into concrete union branch action, 바카라사이트re is a suggestion outlined in this video https://youtu.be/MXt4oOD25O4
ADVERTISEMENT