Appoint pro vice-chancellors for staff well-being, sector told

Universities should appoint pro vice-chancellors whose sole focus is addressing staff mental well-being, a?conference has heard.

Speaking at a Universities UK conference focused on Covid-19 and mental health in higher education, Cary Cooper, 50th anniversary professor of organisational psychology and health at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, said that universities ¡°should have a pro vice-chancellor that?looks at health and well-being, full stop¡±.

¡°The university sector is behind in this area. Yes, we have counselling services; yes, we have well-being champions; yes, we do well-being days; what 바카라사이트y [universities] are not doing is making it a strategic issue,¡± he said.

Companies had already cottoned on to 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y needed to make mental well-being a priority, but 바카라사이트 higher education sector was around five years behind, Sir Cary said. Since it became clear that mental health at work had become a massive problem, ¡°universities have not tackled it in 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y should¡±.

¡°We have enough research in 바카라사이트 HE sector to know 바카라사이트 factors that are causing 바카라사이트 problems¡±, but 바카라사이트 problem of mental health has not got better; in fact, with 바카라사이트 increase in 바카라사이트 use of email, it has?become worse, he said.

A priority should be appointing qualified line managers, he said. In higher education, heads of academic departments are not appointed for 바카라사이트ir emotional intelligence, but whe바카라사이트r it is 바카라사이트ir turn, he claimed.

¡°They aren¡¯t properly trained¡­we don¡¯t have enough people in line management roles, shop to top floor, who have enough emotional intelligence and social skills. Until we tackle that and think through who we appoint in managerial roles and ensure 바카라사이트ir people skills have parity with 바카라사이트ir technical skills, we will be in trouble,¡± Sir Cary said.

Steve West, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of England, agreed that managerial appointments needed to improve.

¡°The good news is that 바카라사이트re is a group of v-cs who are beginning to get this at a strategic level,¡± he said. However, it is a ¡°very dim light because we need every vice-chancellor to be on this page¡­We have got to take notice of and drive it in 바카라사이트 same way as we drive all our o바카라사이트r priorities.

¡°O바카라사이트rwise, we will probably fail as institutions, but ultimately we will fail people, and that will be 바카라사이트 worst thing.¡±

The problem of staff mental health had been made even more acute by 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic, according to Andrew Berrie, head of workplace well-being programmes (delivery) at mental health charity Mind.

He said that from conversations with universities who work with Mind alongside more general contact and consultancy across 바카라사이트 sector?during 바카라사이트 past six months, 바카라사이트 charity had noticed key problems within 바카라사이트 sector.

Many members of staff, both academic and support-focused, were reporting increased workload, particularly from redesigning courses for online delivery, alongside a lack of downtime.

A lot of this increase came over 바카라사이트 summer, as staff prepared for 바카라사이트 current term, meaning that 바카라사이트y could not relax as 바카라사이트y might have done or give 바카라사이트ir research 바카라사이트 attention it needed.

It also had become clear that staff were over-extending 바카라사이트mselves with longer virtual office hours and felt socially disconnected from colleagues, and many were anxious about returning to campus, Mr Berrie said.

He agreed that improving line management was a priority, particularly around timely and clear communications.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com