Loughborough UCU

Tag: VES

  • Voluntary Exit Scheme Open Meeting Follow Up

    LUCU has raised with management the concerns shared by members and non-members during our recent open meeting regarding the negative impacts of the Voluntary Exit Scheme (VES). These included: 

    • insufficient communication about and preparation for the significant localised impact of exits;  
    • a lack of meaningful review, redistribution or deletion of tasks associated following exits 
    • leadership vacuums following the departure of line managers; 
    • School-wide workload allocation percentages being arbitrarily adjusted in WAMS, but not corresponding to actual changes; 
    • individuals taking reduced hours but with no commensurate reduction in workload; 
    • insufficient capacity to handle upcoming strategic change projects. 

    Through our formal negotiation meetings and follow-up discussions, we have highlighted that the scheme had a disproportionate impact on certain areas, and that some individuals are still being negatively affected. In response, management has acknowledged that rapid exits can require additional support. The OD team have confirmed that the newly revised Management Programme has the management of change running through it and going forward can include messaging about how to support in such a scenario. 

    We are grateful to those who came forward to share their experiences. We remain concerned about the wellbeing of staff still experiencing negative effects of the scheme and will continue to advocate for them. If you are experiencing any difficulties related to the VES scheme – either directly, or indirectly – please do speak with your LUCU representative or email the branch directly. 

  • Working at Loughborough

    Loughborough UCU is able to share some information about recent and current staff assessments of what it is like to work at the University. The material comes from two sources: firstly, exit surveys and interviews conducted with staff who left the University between May and October 2024 (these details have kindly been shared with us by management and HR); secondly, the open meeting that we ourselves organised on 28 February, following closure of the Cost Reduction Scheme.

    Exit Surveys and Interviews

    The first thing to say is that this data should be treated cautiously, given that only 12.7 percent of leavers during this six-month period completed the exit survey, with a tiny fraction of those – seven colleagues in all – opting to follow up with an exit interview. The response rate was comparable across job families. 

    Despite the relatively small evidence sample, however, some conclusions can still be drawn. The first is that, on the basis of the exit survey in particular, the University was judged a good place to work. None of the questions asked received a response that was les than 50% positive: the lowest number was 52.6% expressing satisfaction with the pay and benefits packages offered here, while the highest was 75.4% answering in the affirmative that ‘I was able to be my true self.’

    Most of the reasons given for leaving were benign or neutral: retirement or personal circumstances, for example, or the opportunities for career enhancement available elsewhere. Thirteen leavers, however, did cite issues with working relationships. In the discursive comments themselves, there were some echoes of LUCU themes: e.g. concerns over the level of training undertaken by middle and senior management, or dismay at a lack of ‘openness and compassion’ in some working relationships on campus. 

    Open Meeting of 28th February

    No workplace is static, of course, and it is significant that the exit interviews mentioned here took place before well before the impact of the Cost Reduction Scheme, launched last summer, could be assessed. Mindful that many staff members may be facing especially challenging workloads in the wake of this programme, LUCU convened the open meeting to capture opinion from right across campus.

    At the meeting, staff discussed issues such as:

    • insufficient communication about and preparation for the significant localised impact of exits 
    • a lack of meaningful review, redistribution or deletion of tasks associated following exits
    • leadership vacuums following the departure of line managers
    • School-wide workload allocation percentages being arbitrarily adjusted in WAMS, but not corresponding to actual changes
    • individuals taking reduced hours but with no commensurate reduction in workload
    • insufficient capacity to handle upcoming strategic change projects.

    Since the meeting, we have followed up on these concerns with the University’s senior management, and we will continue to address them. A key aim is to improve how the University monitors the effects of programmes such as the Cost Reduction Scheme which have profound effects upon remaining staff.

  • At What Cost? The Impact of the Voluntary Exit and Hours Reduction Scheme

    Across the University, there has been a substantial uptake of the Voluntary Exit and Hours Reduction offerings as part of the wider Cost Reduction Scheme. The University has now ‘saved’ in the region of £4m by encouraging people to leave or to reduce their contracts. Following the success of this scheme, Loughborough UCU are concerned about the impact on those left behind. 

    We are hosting an open meeting on Friday, February 28 from 2:00 PM to 2:50 PM on Teams to discuss the impact on workload for remaining Loughborough staff and doctoral researchers. All Loughborough staff and DRs are invited, whether you are a UCU member or not. 

    Are you an academic whose teaching has increased? Are you a DR who has taken on more research or marking without additional compensation? Is your Professional Services team now trying to cover the same amount of work with fewer staff? We want to hear from you!

    Come and share your thoughts and experiences, hear from other people about what is happening in their areas, and discuss how people are managing increases in workload across the University. Please feel free to invite others in your area to attend as we are keen to include as wide a view as possible.

    You can download an invite for your calendar here, or use this link to join the meeting.