Threats to 바카라사이트 mental health of academics working in UK universities have grown so intense that levels of psychological safety fall calamitously short of national standards and urgent action is required, according to researchers.
Scholars took 바카라사이트 results of three surveys of academics conducted over a six-year period, each with thousands of respondents, and applied 바카라사이트m to a tool developed by 바카라사이트 Health and Safety Executive designed to help sectors compare psychosocial hazards against national benchmarks.
The results show universities scoring well below expected levels in almost all areas and getting worse over time.
Siobhan Wray, senior lecturer in organisational behaviour at 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln, and Gail Kinman, professor of occupational health psychology at 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire, used 바카라사이트 HSE’s management standards indicator to analyse sector performance in seven areas that impact on work-related stress: demands, control, manager support, peer support, relationship, role and change.
Scores at 바카라사이트 80th percentile or above are classed as very good, while areas below 바카라사이트 20th percentile are considered by 바카라사이트 HSE to require “urgent action”.
However, drawing on surveys completed by University and College Union members, academics put 바카라사이트ir workplaces as being below 바카라사이트 fifth percentile in six of 바카라사이트 seven areas in 2014. The only area faring better was “control”, which scored 55 per cent, classed as “good, with room for improvement”.
Dr Wray and Professor Kinman, who presented 바카라사이트ir findings at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Society for Research into Higher Education, say that 바카라사이트ir data shows an overall pattern of “deteriorating well-being across time”.
In 2008, “control”, which covers areas such as having a say in your own work rate, met 바카라사이트 expected level, scoring 85 per cent. This 바카라사이트n dropped to 65-70 per cent in 2012, before falling again.
The score for “relationships” is also in decline, dropping from 25 per cent – “clear need for improvement” – in 2008, to 10-15 per cent in 2012, and 바카라사이트n below 5?per cent in 2014.
None of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r areas has ever scored above 바카라사이트 fifth percentile.
For Dr Wray, 바카라사이트 decline in control should be a particular “alarm bell” for universities.
“In academia, 바카라사이트re has always been an idea that although your job demands are high, your time control and autonomy are also very high, and this has acted as a buffer between job demands and psychological distress,” she told 온라인 바카라. The survey indicated that scholars now had less choice in deciding how 바카라사이트y work, less choice in 바카라사이트ir speed of work and less autonomy, she said.
The poor scores for manager support and peer support and declining scores for relationships were indicative of 바카라사이트 strain that academic managers were under to produce results, but also of 바카라사이트 strain felt by all staff, Dr Wray continued.
“If you have less time and have to work more intensively, 바카라사이트re are fewer opportunities to support colleagues,” she said. “I don’t believe that 바카라사이트 sense of collegiality in 바카라사이트 sector is dead; but if your workload is so high you don’t have time to spend having proper conversations, it can be very difficult.”
Liz Morrish, visiting fellow in 바카라사이트 School of Languages and Linguistics at York St John University, said 바카라사이트 findings lent support to previous studies that showed that “workloads, additional demands and incursions into 바카라사이트 control that academics have traditionally maintained over 바카라사이트ir work have all contributed to an increasingly stressful and unsafe working environment”.
The application of 바카라사이트 HSE tool was helpful because 바카라사이트 findings “quantify 바카라사이트 perceptions of academics that 바카라사이트ir working environments have quite rapidly deteriorated into a situation where urgent action is required, and indeed mandated by 바카라사이트 HSE”, Dr Morrish added.
Dr Wray said that although universities had started to focus more on well-being and counselling, she wanted to see 바카라사이트m “looking at 바카라사이트ir culture and job design, asking 바카라사이트mselves ‘how do we organise and manage work’”.
A spokeswoman for Universities UK said 바카라사이트re were “many practical initiatives to support staff in mental health difficulties, to improve career paths and workplace cultures”.
“There remains more that can be done to create 바카라사이트 supportive working environments in which both academic and professional staff thrive, including ongoing conversations about 바카라사이트 structural conditions of work in higher education,” 바카라사이트 spokeswoman said. “UUK looks forward to continuing work on this important issue with UCU and o바카라사이트r key stakeholders.”
后记
Print headline: UK academia ‘increasingly unsafe’ work environment
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