‘Kindness’ of colleagues valued over ‘empty’ managerial promises

Academics find strength in big-hearted co-workers rather than university executives who offer “empty promises” and “strategic deferrals” in lieu of support, an Australian study has found.

A survey of 537 university workers has revealed that relationships with colleagues and supervisors – along with pay, the “intrinsic rewards” of watching students learn and the privilege of “contributing to the knowledge of the world” – are sources of satisfaction in academic work.

But these benefits are undermined by mounting workloads, the “scope creep” of administrative responsibilities and a sense that “market-driven logics” have taken primacy over universities’ public good mission.

The report, published by the University of Newcastle, found that academics’ biggest single source of dissatisfaction was the “overwhelming” pressure produced by “unrealistic” and “opaque” workload allocation models.

Many respondents recognised that this pressure stemmed from the “interlocked challenges” of scarce funding and declining public trust. But that realisation was cold comfort to academics contemplating their futures.

The study, by researchers from Newcastle, Charles Sturt University and UNSW Sydney, found that almost one in five respondents planned to leave the profession, with many already seeking alternative jobs. Another one in six said they would only stay if they could find secure work.

Two in five said they would not recommend academia as a career, with another three in 10 “neutral” on the subject. “These findings raise serious questions about the sustainability of the academic workforce,” the paper warns.

An earlier survey, focused mainly on junior academics, found that almost one in three would advise against the pursuit of academic careers – a strikingly similar result, according to UNSW senior lecturer Kathleen Smithers, who worked on both studies.

Smithers said the newer survey was significantly larger and most respondents had worked in the sector for at least a decade. “This isn’t just something that’s happening to people who are early in their career. A whole range of people…are saying, ‘don’t do it’. [They] just do not see any hope.”

She conceded that claims about the “mythic golden age of academia” were overstated. “But I think the problems are becoming more acute now, as universities are looking to restructure and cut costs. A lot of the participants…talked about the rising administration associated with the removal of people dedicated to booking travel or organising timetabling, [which became] the responsibility of the academics.”

Respondents highlighted the “kindness” and “generosity” of colleagues and line supervisors who stepped up to provide career advice, mentoring, advocacy and research funding opportunities. This contrasted starkly with the failure of leaders and managers to provide supportive working conditions.

“The default seems to be ‘academics will research in their own time anyway, so overload everything’,” one respondent commented. “Requests for support were met with silence or strategic deferrals rather than encouragement or guidance,” said another.

The survey found “clear dissonance” between “idealised notions of academic leadership” and the realities of “business-focused managerial practices, ‘strategic’ cost-saving and a lack of understanding, consultation or appreciation for...academics”.

Smithers conceded that surveys of this nature were likely to elicit responses from aggrieved workers – particularly in academia, where staff could put themselves under the microscope. “Perhaps people in other industries don’t have that luxury.”

She said the team hoped to produce multiple peer-reviewed papers from the data, looking particularly at the levels of seniority of people thinking about quitting academia.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com

Academics find strength in big-hearted co-workers rather than university executives who offer “empty promises” and “strategic deferrals” in lieu of support, an Australian study has found.

A survey of 537 university workers has revealed that relationships with colleagues and supervisors – along with pay, the “intrinsic rewards” of watching students learn and the privilege of “contributing to the knowledge of the world” – are sources of satisfaction in academic work.

But these benefits are undermined by mounting workloads, the “scope creep” of administrative responsibilities and a sense that “market-driven logics” have taken primacy over universities’ public good mission.

The report, published by the University of Newcastle, found that academics’ biggest single source of dissatisfaction was the “overwhelming” pressure produced by “unrealistic” and “opaque” workload allocation models.

Many respondents recognised that this pressure stemmed from the “interlocked challenges” of scarce funding and declining public trust. But that realisation was cold comfort to academics contemplating their futures.

The study, by researchers from Newcastle, Charles Sturt University and UNSW Sydney, found that almost one in five respondents planned to leave the profession, with many already seeking alternative jobs. Another one in six said they would only stay if they could find secure work.

Two in five said they would not recommend academia as a career, with another three in 10 “neutral” on the subject. “These findings raise serious questions about the sustainability of the academic workforce,” the paper warns.

An earlier survey, focused mainly on junior academics, found that almost one in three would advise against the pursuit of academic careers – a strikingly similar result, according to UNSW senior lecturer Kathleen Smithers, who worked on both studies.

Smithers said the newer survey was significantly larger and most respondents had worked in the sector for at least a decade. “This isn’t just something that’s happening to people who are early in their career. A whole range of people…are saying, ‘don’t do it’. [They] just do not see any hope.”

She conceded that claims about the “mythic golden age of academia” were overstated. “But I think the problems are becoming more acute now, as universities are looking to restructure and cut costs. A lot of the participants…talked about the rising administration associated with the removal of people dedicated to booking travel or organising timetabling, [which became] the responsibility of the academics.”

Respondents highlighted the “kindness” and “generosity” of colleagues and line supervisors who stepped up to provide career advice, mentoring, advocacy and research funding opportunities. This contrasted starkly with the failure of leaders and managers to provide supportive working conditions.

“The default seems to be ‘academics will research in their own time anyway, so overload everything’,” one respondent commented. “Requests for support were met with silence or strategic deferrals rather than encouragement or guidance,” said another.

The survey found “clear dissonance” between “idealised notions of academic leadership” and the realities of “business-focused managerial practices, ‘strategic’ cost-saving and a lack of understanding, consultation or appreciation for...academics”.

Smithers conceded that surveys of this nature were likely to elicit responses from aggrieved workers – particularly in academia, where staff could put themselves under the microscope. “Perhaps people in other industries don’t have that luxury.”

She said the team hoped to produce multiple peer-reviewed papers from the data, looking particularly at the levels of seniority of people thinking about quitting academia.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com