Staff Wellbeing Survey Results 2021

The overall results of the Wellbeing Survey are now available to download from the HR webpage.

The survey found that overall staff have coped well with working at home despite the challenges faced by the ongoing Covid-19 situation.  Many individuals have found themselves to be more focused and productive whilst working from home without the everyday distractions of the office, although for some, juggling the demands of home-schooling and looking after pre-school children throughout lockdown has been challenging.

Individuals have reported that their work-life balance has improved with them having greater flexibility on how they manage their working hours to support their personal choice or to balance their personal situation.  Many staff indicate that the possibility of some working at home in the future would be desirable whilst reporting that they miss physical social interaction with team members and are looking forward to the return to campus.

Lack of commuting was also found to be a positive change for colleagues, although some individuals report they work longer hours as a result, in the main colleagues use this free time at home spending time with family, looking after their wellbeing or just catching up with those household chores!

Communication by the University has been well-received and the almost immediate introduction of the Teams platform made communication amongst managers and colleagues simpler and more effective.  Although some indicate this has meant an increase in scheduled meetings, those individuals noted meetings were more productive and attendance was higher.  The ability to keep in touch with colleagues through this platform is reported as supportive.  The supply of IT kit where needed,  help with technical issues and the introduction of MyMo received overall positive comments, although some individuals report their home working environment to be difficult.

Support from managers was found to be very positive, in terms of tailoring working arrangements to suit individuals, and supporting wellbeing by having regular catch ups with individuals and teams.   They have also been praised for being approachable and understanding throughout the Covid-19 situation.

The survey finds that there are further issues to explore in relation to balancing the demands of work and home life and more detailed discussions will now take place with Deans and Directors to find ways of how to improve and develop this going forward.

There have been many challenges faced because of the Covid-19 pandemic and I would like to express my sincere thanks for the way staff have pulled together to support our University community.

Siobhan Moss
Director of Human Resources