EDSOC Research Seminar - The Happy Academic? Emotional Wellbeing of Staff in UK Universities

Dr Laura Hyman, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, School of Education and Sociology, University of Portsmouth

Title: The Happy Academic? Emotional Wellbeing of Staff in UK Universities

Abstract: In recent years, emotional wellbeing and mental health have become noticeably more significant on university campuses in the UK and beyond. An increasing number of students are reported to be experiencing poor wellbeing, and demand for student counselling and support services has risen substantially. As a result, student mental health has become an area of increasing concern for educational policymakers.

Although members of academic staff who provide pastoral support to students are having to confront these issues more frequently during their working weeks, what is missing from public debate and university structures is an acknowledgement and recognition of (as well as provision for, in many cases) the wellbeing of academic staff themselves. At a time of considerable change and instability within higher education (concerning issues including, but not limited to, research audits, funding availability, precarious contracts, rising tuition fees and expectations of students, the Teaching Excellence Framework and students’ pastoral needs), there is growing evidence to suggest that all may not be well for many academics.

This paper thus presents the foundations of a new qualitative research project in which interviews have been undertaken with a small sample of academics from a range of disciplines and universities in the UK. It considers their understandings and experiences of the challenges of their everyday working lives as well as their emotional wellbeing.