Uni staff stressed out after push for league table success

Exeter may have climbed league tables and been named uni of the year, but reports suggest it has come at a price.

Uni staff claim the drive for league table success has left them stressed and many report experiencing sexism, bullying and a lack of power, according to the Times Higher Education.

Artist’s impression of what a stressed out prof might look like

36% of staff feel unduly stressed, compared with a national average of 28%. Only 60% of staff feel able to voice their opinions.

Many staff feel major decisions at the uni are made by a remote group of people ‘behind closed doors without consultation’.

Results suggest staff have been subject to ‘bullying, manipulative and unpleasant behaviour’ from senior managers, with their opinions being ignored and ‘no acknowledgement or feedback’ being received.

Some feel the uni has a ‘self perpetuating male-dominated culture’, as policies such as maternity leave are not taken seriously. Reports of sexism were also noted, with men referring to women as ‘girls’, making casual sexist remarks and promoting men over women despite them having equal or better CVs.

Senior management said the uni’s governance will be assessed in 2014 as part of its regular five-year reviews. However, Exeter University and College Union co-president, Jo Melling, said the response does not meet expectations: “We are concerned that the vice-chancellor’s executive group has not recognised the issue about voice and governance that the group clearly flagged up.”

Vice Chancellor Sir Steve Smith said: “I could have written to staff saying ‘we’ve got the [2012] survey results and we did better [than] or the same [as the benchmark] in 17 out of 25 [areas]’, but the truth is I know that there are tensions… We’re trying to be as open as possible.”