Tag: Survey

Posted on

We urge you to complete the USS Pensions Survey

We urge you to complete the USS Pensions Survey

You (USS members) should have received a survey link via email from USS. We encourage you to complete this survey to get UCU member voices heard. The survey will take around 10 minutes to complete but we feel this time will be worthwhile for the following reasons:

  • You will be asked for your views on sustainable investment. Pension funds can only legally decide to opt for a sustainable investment strategy (divestment from fossil fuels etc) if they have evidence that their members want that to happen. USS have never done an explicit survey on this, so surveys like this one are the best opportunity people have to express that view.
  • You will be asked to comment on your “overall relationship” with USS. This question’s results will be reported in the USS annual report, which will expose the feelings of its members to a wide audience.  

Further action you can take towards ethical investment

Most USS members now have a Defined Contribution (DC) pot (the bit USS calls the “investment builder”) because of the 2020-2022 cut to the Defined Benefit (DB) cap. Individuals can choose to have this pot invested normally or invested ethically by logging to the USS portal. Most people don’t know this and therefore leave it with the default (not ethical) option. USS takes this as evidence that members aren’t so bothered about climate change and therefore as a reason not to change investment strategy for the (massively larger) DB section of their investments. So, if you wish to influence USS ethical investment you can opt in to the “ethical lifestyle” investment option.

LUCU Committee

Posted on

UCU, Unite and UNISON: Professional Services Workload Survey Results

UCU, Unite and UNISON: Professional Services Workload Survey Results

Please see below for the results summary for the UCU, Unite and UNISON Professional Services Workload Survey conducted in March.

We thank those of  you who took the time to complete the survey and assure you that the results will be extremely valuable in providing direction for the Professional Services Workload Task and Finish Group. To drill deeper into the workload issues raised in the survey, the Task and Finish Group will set up staff focus groups.  These groups will be open for all Professional Services staff to join (union members and non-members), and a communication will be sent out shortly to invite participation.

Unite, UNISON and UCU Professional Services Workload Survey – Results

Respondents are Professional Services staff who are union members (UNISON, Unite, UCU), 55% of whom worked from home.

In the year January 2020-Jaunary 2021, 81% of participants experienced an increase in their workload. Some participants are able to complete this additional work within their working hours, whereas others are unable to.

Working hours
32% are able to complete their work in their normal working hours.
30% are able to complete their work about 50% of the time in their normal working hours.
38% are rarely or never able to complete their work in their normal working hours.

Impact of additional workload on hours worked
In addition to their normal weekly working hours:
31% are working 9 or more hours.
44% are working between 3 and 9 hours.
18% are working between 1 and 3 hours.
7% are not working any additional hours.

Tasks left uncompleted to avoid excessive working hours
54% are leaving tasks uncompleted because they are unable to find the time to do them.
Potential Causes for increased workload

Impact of Technology & Processes
51% respondents’ workload has been impacted by the University’s technological systems and/or processes.
49% of respondents’ workload has not been impacted by the University’s technological systems and/or processes.

Impact of the Severance Scheme
40% of respondents’ workload has been impacted by the Severance Scheme
60% of respondents’ workload has not been impacted by the Severance Scheme

Impact of restructure in the last 12 months
49% experienced increased workload
51% did not experience a workload impact

Impact of workload on stress over the past 12 months
96% have experienced increased stress due to workload over the past year, with 19% reporting consistently feeling stressed.

Impact of workload on morale over the past 12 months
91% have felt demoralised, with 23% reporting feeling consistently demoralised.

Impact of workload on quality of service
78% reported an impact the quality of service delivered.

Workload management
9% reported regular workload reviews with their manager.
19% reported frequent workload reviews with their manager.
50% reported occasional workload reviews with their manager.
22% reported no workload reviews with their manager.

Summary of Discursive Comments

TECHNOLOGY

  • Inadequate IT training for new tasks
  • Lack of MS Teams training
  • Wide range of systems and processes not linked, hence additional work required
  • New technological systems have increased workload
  • Learning to use and then find work arounds for functionality limitations

SEVERANCE

  • Unachievable increased workload requiring work over contract hours
  • Completing tasks above pay scale
  • Driven to seek alternative employment
  • Demotivated
  • Increased workload, but supported by manager
  • Loss of expertise and ability to provide a quality service
  • Programme at crisis point – lack of planning for the future
  • Loss of vital experience and expertise with no plan to replace
  • Work-life balance seriously impacted

OTHER REASONS FOR WORKING OVER CONTRACTED HOURS

  • Working from home
  • Recruitment freeze/non replacement of leavers
  • Additional responsibility, tasks or duties due to loss of expertise
  • COVID-related University initiative
  • Staff absence and/or furlough

NON-COST SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING WORKLOAD

People Management

  • Improve leadership and strategic task prioritisation: sharing tasks equitably; avoiding favouritism; ‘just do what you can manage’ isn’t helpful
  • Greater consultation on new activities
  • Streamline activity to focus on ‘need to do’ tasks all the way down from top to bottom
  • Reduce last minute decision making through improved planning and notice for changes to complex systems
  • Lower expectations from senior management
  • Call on alumni to help out as the NHS have done with retired staff
  • Review and update job descriptions – greater transparency over role expectations
  • Distribute workload from those heavily impacted by Covid to those with no/limited additional workload
  • Increase online meetings
  • Introduce a culture of administration that consistently tests each procedure for the burdens it places on staff and continually aim for redesign to reduce burden
  • Better communication between admin and teaching staff
  • Better communication between management, team leaders and staff
  • Flexible working

Processes

  • Reduce the amount of assessments and move more online
  • Reduce bureaucracy around PDR
  • Reduce bureaucracy around form filling
  • Better Agresso reporting
  • Spread online labs over more days
  • Remove the need for manual workarounds for dysfunctional online systems

Training

  • Better training
  • Increase staff confidence and proactivity to take on responsibilities

Other suggestions

  • Cut the services we offer to students and better manage their expectations
  • Change student menus to make them less labour intensive

Thanks

LUCU Committee

Posted on

Survey Results: ‘Covid and In-Person Teaching’

Survey Results: ‘Covid and In-Person Teaching’

We are writing to report on the results of LUCU’s most recent survey on ‘Covid and In-Person Teaching’.  The survey was completed by hundreds of members and achieved a significant response rate as a proportion of the branch membership. This is the highest response we have had to a survey! – and represents an excellent increase in responses compared to our October survey. Thanks to everyone who responded, as your feedback will be used to inform our stance on this issue. LUCU would also like to thank those members who gave so generously of their time and expertise to help us frame the survey and to interpret its results. 

The survey was a listening exercise for the committee. Our aim was to test whether the view of the membership had changed since October and to gauge the current temperature of the membership concerning action that would be needed to push management into adopting the Online-Only position for the rest of this academic year.

Overall, the survey indicates broad support for LUCU to continue working with management to ensure a balanced approach where staff have the ability to request an opt-out of in-person teaching, in line with the outcome agreed through our local dispute process, and a preference for what some members termed ‘constructive’ solutions – that is, reserving ballots or threats of action only when other methods fail to achieve a satisfactory solution for the branch.  

To remind members, management has agreed the following with LUCU:

Staff may request home working even if they are not clinically vulnerable, and without necessarily involving input from Occupational Health, if they are concerned about undertaking their duties in-person. Although the survey focused on in-person teaching, this agreement covers all staff.  Requests are considered at school/unit level by the line manager or their nominee. 

If members would like the advice of a LUCU caseworker before submitting a request or during discussions with a manager, please contact our Casework Coordinator, Andrew Dix – a.dix@lboro.ac.uk.

Thus far, requests have been treated sympathetically, and the agreement is enabling members to work from home or have their in-person hours reduced to a number with which they are comfortable. LUCU is monitoring the process through regular updates from Reps, and regular contact with Deans and HR as required.

Members: please find a fuller report on the survey attached to your email.   

LUCU Committee