Workload and Stress

Rising workloads - linked to job and funding cuts and the increasing intensity of work in post-16 education - are a growing problem. Following a number of key decisions at 2012 Congress, UCU is committed to campaigning to control workloads and tackle performance management strategies and occupational stress and bullying in the sector.

Workload is an Education Issue

The workload campaign will be using publication of results for individual colleges and universities from UCU's 2012 stress survey to highlight particular areas of concern related to stress and workload, and to encourage local negotiation with employers to tackle these issues.

The campaign includes:

• publication of the stress survey results by FE college and HE institution relating toworkload demands and hours of work
  
  Reaction:
  • UCU snaps over stress levels, TES
  • Stressed? That must be because you work in higher education, Research Fortnight
  • Stressed academics are ready to blow in pressure-cooker culture, THE
• publication of the stress survey results by FE college and HE institution relating to bullying
  
  Reaction:
  • Union outs institutions with 'climate of fear', THE

• week beginning 19 November 2012 - the UCU 2012 Anti-Stress and Bullying Week - a focus for raising awareness and an opportunity to include these issues in local campaigning and joint negotiations
   Branch/LA activities for Anti-Stress and Bullying Week (.doc) [58kb]
• January 2013 - launch of the 'Workload is an Education Issue' campaign in FE and HE, with the support of the National Union of Students
• March 2013 - publication of the stress survey results on control and managerial support at work, with individual FEC and HEI data
  
  Reaction:
  • Post-92 academics report greatest stress over lack of autonomy, THE
• March 2013 - publication of data on stress and workload in prisons

As well as posters and stickers to help you publicise 'UCU Anti-stress and Bullying Week', we also have new leaflets for staff on what to do if you're experiencing problems at work with either stress or bullying - find these resources below.

• Find out more about bullying and harassment and about UCU resources here: www.ucu.org.uk/harassment
•  Stress as an industrial injury: How UCU members can put their experience on the record (.pdf) [129kb]
• Find out more about the toolkit for tackling excessive workloads in further education here:  Excessive workloads: UCU further education toolkit 2012 (.pdf) [887kb]
• Find out more about higher education workload protection here

Robust management or bullying?

Some employers accused of bullying often claim that it isn't bullying, it is simply a robust managerial approach; and that in an academic environment, staff should be able to deal with that by argument and debate. This simple questionnaire should help you test if your employer is a bully or merely 'robust':  Robust management style or bullying? (.doc) [131kb]

The 2012 UCU stress survey results

Workload demands

Higher education:

•  Overview and results for HEIs: DEMANDS (.pdf) [347kb]
•  The Demands stressor: higher education (.doc) [198kb]
•  Results for HEIs: DEMANDS (.doc) [2.0Mb]
•  Data for HEIs: DEMANDS (.xls) [390kb]

Further education:

•  The Demands stressor: further education (.pdf) [345kb]
   The Demands stressor: further education (.doc) [359kb]

Relationships and bullying

Higher education

•  The Relationships stressor: higher education (.pdf) [479kb]
   The Relationships stressor: higher education (.doc) [428kb]

Further education

•  The Relationships stressor: further education (.pdf) [674kb]
   The Relationships stressor: further education (.doc) [532kb]

Control

Higher education

•  The Control stressor: higher education (.pdf) [304kb]
   The Control stressor: higher education (.doc) [188kb]

Stress

Prisons

•  A Punishing Regime - a survey of occupational stress and well-being among prison educators, Mar 13 (.pdf) [225kb]

Campaign materials

 'Ban bullying in education' leaflet (.pdf) [108kb]

 'Workplace stress' leaflet (.pdf) [86kb]

 'Workplace stress' poster - pressure gauge (.pdf) [358kb]

 'Workplace stress' poster - head in hand (.pdf) [405kb]

 'Workplace stress' poster - blood pressure (.pdf) [114kb]

 'Workplace stress' poster - pile of papers (.pdf) [203kb]

 'Workplace stress' poster - with doctor (.pdf) [108kb]

 'Stress is a workplace hazard' sticker (.pdf) [20kb]

 'Workplace violence - don't ignore it' poster - male (.pdf) [74kb]

 Bullies are a workplace hazard - poster (.pdf) [122kb]

 Cyber-bullying is a workplace hazard - poster (.pdf) [77kb]

 Staff notice: this is no place for... - poster (.pdf) [151kb]

 No entry for bullies - poster (.pdf) [65kb]

 No entry for bullies - poster 2 (.pdf) [90kb]

 'Workplace violence - don't ignore it' poster - female (.pdf) [67kb]

Information

A copy of the England FE national agreement on workloads can be found at

 Guidance on regulating working hours in further education colleges, Nov 09 (Eng) (.doc) [275kb]

For further advice on the agreement

•  Excessive workloads: UCU FE toolkit 2012 (.pdf) [887kb]
   Excessive workloads: UCU FE toolkit 2012 (.doc) [272kb]