NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes said universities must be compelled to prioritise staff well-being and safety after findings from a four-year survey of Australian university employees paint a bleak picture, with almost 73 per cent of professionals and academics reporting poor work environments in 2023.
“The damning findings of this major study highlight a sector in crisis, with lives at risk from unsafe working environments,” she says.
More than two-thirds (67 per cent) reported poor psychosocial safety, double the national average, while a similar amount (66 per cent) reported suffering from burn-out. The data also reveals that 43 per cent reported extreme tiredness, anxiety or depression.
The Work, Digital Stress and Well-being Survey involving almost 6200 responses from university staff across every state and territory from 2020-2023, reveals a sector suffering high stress, exhaustion, and unrelenting work pressures. Professional staff accounted for 2279 responses, compared to 2847 from academics.
Since the first survey in 2020, staff well-being has declined each year, to the lowest levels in 2023.
In response to the findings, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has urged the Albanese Government to act on damning findings of a new study highlighting a workplace health crisis for university staff.
Workplace health must be a priority
An interactive database outlining the findings has been produced by the Psychosocial Safety Climate Global Observatory, a world-first research centre established in 2020 to help Australia meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal to promote decent and safe workplaces.
The research group led by University of South Australia (UniSA) Professor Kurt Lushington, in collaboration with ARC Laureate Fellow Professor Maureen Dollard, launched the interactive database at the 2024 Centre for Transformative Work Design Conference at Curtin University in Perth this week.
“The Universities Accord must address this life-and-death issue with decisive steps that put the onus back on universities to ensure safe working environments,” says the NTEU’s Dr Barnes.
“Incredibly high levels of stress, exhaustion and mental distress must sound alarm bells for vice-chancellors all across Australia. Failures to protect staff will result in some of Australia’s most brilliant minds leaving our sector, which would put the nation’s future at risk.”
Dr Barnes says the union’s own research has explored these issues, with similar findings about the shockingly high levels of psychosocial hazards faced by university staff.
“The NTEU urges Education Minister Jason Clare to make improving staff wellbeing a core part of the government’s response to the Accord,” she says.
Impact of digital work prompted research
Professor Lushington says the impetus for the study – the impact of digital work – included common tools for assessing workplace psychosocial risks, mental health, and work conditions.
“Subsequent research has shown that digital work is growing, but if universities are adequately resourced, well-being may not be seriously impacted,” he says.
Researchers say the results are timely and informative given the Australian Universities Accord interim report recommendation that universities prioritise staff well- being and safety.
“Some immediate considerations are a sector wide policy for universities to report on psychosocial safety climate (PSC) as a KPI (key performance indicator),” Professor Dollard says.
“Other recommendations include tethering management salaries to PSC KPIs; and separating the functions of Human Resources (HR) and Work, Health and Safety (WHS) within universities because of conflicting values in HR-led safety processes.”
Women and academic staff report highest levels of work pressures
The study analysed many aspects of working life for university staff, drilling down to the reasons behind the decline in workplace mental health.
Topics included digital stress, job security, resourcing, creativity, leadership, engagement, job satisfaction and work-life balance among others. Around three in five respondents reported conflicts between work and home/family life.
“The metrics reveal a university sector that is facing serious problems that need addressing,” Uni SA’s Professor Lushington says.
“Among the top concerns are work pressures, cost cutting and restructures, digital work stressors, email overload, a lack of employee voice, student demands, and time constraints”.
