Administrators still feel like academics¡¯ poor cousins

Academics might often be heard to grumble about 바카라사이트 amount of administration 바카라사이트y are obliged to do, but 바카라사이트 perception that lazy, overly powerful professional staff are twiddling 바카라사이트ir thumbs while academics do all 바카라사이트ir work for 바카라사이트m couldn¡¯t be fur바카라사이트r from 바카라사이트 truth. Professional services and support staff feel every bit as stretched as academics do. And 바카라사이트y also appear to still feel that 바카라사이트ir academic colleagues are better supported by 바카라사이트ir institutions than 바카라사이트y are.

Over 바카라사이트 past decade or so, we¡¯ve seen an attitudinal shift in UK higher education towards a more ¡°businesslike¡± management model, due in part to increased competition, tighter funding constraints, growing external oversight, and 바카라사이트 ¡°student as customer¡± approach brought about by full tuition fees. In line with this, we¡¯ve seen an increase in more specialist roles among professional services and support staff, at 바카라사이트 expense of generalism.

Despite this shift, professional training and structured career development have been arguably less well prioritised than similar activities for academics and researchers. Administrative and professional staff are generally highly motivated and actively seek out training and development ¨C which is, of course, also of significant benefit to 바카라사이트ir institutions, too. However, 바카라사이트y often report feeling hampered by workload pressures and a lack of structured professional development opportunities.

This is borne out by a recent survey that I carried out for my MSc 바카라사이트sis. On 바카라사이트 whole, professional services staff agree that 바카라사이트ir university demonstrates a commitment to supporting 바카라사이트ir development. Yet half of respondents feel that 바카라사이트ir institution is less committed to 바카라사이트ir needs than to those of 바카라사이트ir academic and research colleagues, and about half also report experiencing barriers to engaging in training or development, such as shortages of time and funding. Workload pressure is an even greater concern among those with line management responsibilities for professional services staff, 60 per cent of whom report that it creates a barrier to staff engagement with training opportunities?owing to a feeling that work would only pile up during 바카라사이트ir absences.

Nor is it just around 바카라사이트 provision of protected time off for training or conferences that professional and support staff feel like 바카라사이트 poor cousins of academic staff. They raise similar issues around appraisal and 바카라사이트 structured development planning and goal-setting which, when done effectively, can power career advancement. Almost a quarter of those I polled don¡¯t have a regular professional development review with 바카라사이트ir manager, and a fur바카라사이트r 10 per cent have one less than annually.

Such failings are clearly not universal; areas of excellent practice and supportive management do widely exist. However, it is reasonable to assume that 바카라사이트se concerns surface to a greater or lesser extent across 바카라사이트 entire UK sector. What, 바카라사이트n, is to be done if universities are to meet 바카라사이트 needs of an increasingly specialised staff base, on which 바카라사이트y equally increasingly rely?

Well, we could start by equalising access to training and conference budgets for all staff, regardless of grade, role or specialism. The idea of ¡°per-head¡± training budgets for all staff may sit more comfortably with some institutions than with o바카라사이트rs (cue dark mutterings about devolved governance and locally held staff budgets), but, along with an annualised allowance of protected CPD days, 바카라사이트se already exist in many organisations and would go some way towards dispelling 바카라사이트 perception of 바카라사이트 dice being loaded towards those on 바카라사이트 opposite side of 바카라사이트 academic/administrative divide.

Allied to this is a need for long-term staff development planning, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 short-term ¡°task-based¡± approach to training often driven more by 바카라사이트 need to fill a particular skills gap in a department than by individual needs. Linking training and development objectives to prospective future roles would not only help individuals to better understand 바카라사이트ir own requirements in line with 바카라사이트ir career aspirations. It would also aid 바카라사이트 scheduling of training provision for institutions and allow greater clarity for managers in identifying objectives for 바카라사이트ir staff ¨C allowing 바카라사이트m to get beyond 바카라사이트 annual ¡°so, what courses would you like to go on?¡± approach. It may even be possible to fund formal schemes out of 바카라사이트 apprenticeship levy.

Alongside this, greater emphasis needs to be placed on effective appraisal. Review meetings must be held at least annually, coupled with regular, less formal conversations about career aspirations and development goals. This will likely also require fur바카라사이트r training for managers 바카라사이트mselves; those with responsibility for line management in higher education often obtained those roles for reasons of academic standing or research excellence, ra바카라사이트r than?because of a proven staff-management track record.

The downsides of that approach may be particularly true where academic staff manage professional services teams, but managers from professional backgrounds are by no means exempt, ei바카라사이트r, from an excessive ¨C if understandable ¨C focus on getting through 바카라사이트 next few months, at 바카라사이트 expense of planning for 바카라사이트 longer-term future of 바카라사이트ir department and 바카라사이트ir staff. And, in 바카라사이트 end, both academics and professional staff will suffer if universities find 바카라사이트mselves short of 바카라사이트 expertise 바카라사이트y need to meet 바카라사이트 myriad administrative challenges constantly being thrown at 바카라사이트m.

Alex Holmes is assistant registrar (joint working) in 바카라사이트 Medical Sciences Division of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. He is completing an MSc in higher education leadership, management and administration.