The Young Academy is pleased with the minister’s focus on work pressure: ‘But it is somewhat ironic in times of austerity.’ Illustration Valerie Geelen Work pressure in science can be addressed by giving all teachers and researchers their own research budget’, says Young Academy chair Eddie Brummelman.
To solve the issue of work pressure in science, all teachers and researchers should be given their own research budgets, says Eddie Brummelman, chair of the Young Academy. The Dutch Labour Authority plans to conduct a new investigation into work pressure and social safety at universities this spring. A spokesperson has confirmed this in an interview with TU Delft’s university magazine Delta. Five years ago, the Authority demanded universities address work pressure, but a report shows the issue has yet to be resolved. Officials of the Labour Authority will investigate the current state of affairs this spring.
Cutbacks
What they will find, is a big question, as the cabinet has announced significant budget cuts in science. ‘There is a very real risk that these cutbacks will further increase work pressure’, universities wrote in an immediate reaction.
Minister Eppo Bruins promptly reacted by stating that budget cuts do not relieve universities from their duty of care for employees. University administrators must translate their plans into actions, he wrote in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives last week.
Overexploitation
Work pressure is a serious issue, says Young Academy chair Eddie Brummelman. The Young Academy is a society of relatively young elite scientists. Brummelman is also an associate professor of pedagogics at the University of Amsterdam.
‘Overexploitation has been the standard at Dutch universities for decades’, he says. The excellent quality of Dutch education and research is the result of structural over time hours. This is not tenable, however. There was a structural under-funding situation, which is why the previous cabinet increased the budget by one billion.’ These funds will now once again be removed. The Young Academy is pleased with the minister’s focus on work pressure: ‘But it is somewhat ironic in times of austerity.’
Young scientists
Work pressure is felt most by young scientists, according to Brummelman. Initial analyses from the Academy Thermometer, a survey launched by the society, show this to be the case. The results have yet to be published, but Brummelman says work pressure is highest among PhD candidates, postdocs, and assistant professors, with uncertainty over their positions being a key factor. ‘They are required to teach an increasing number of hours, while they are assessed mainly based on their research results.’
To have any chance of a successful career at the university, these young scientists all compete for NWO grants (NOW: Dutch Research Council). Universities see such grants as a label of quality. Moreover, it gives scientists room to do research. Competition, however, is steep, with only 13 or 14 per one hundred applications being approved.
The previous cabinet sought to defuse this problem by introducing starter-grants. New assistant professors were given their own budget for research to make them less dependent on the NWO. Additionally, stimulus grants were introduced for scientists at different stages in their careers. Brummelman explains that the system experienced some initial issues. ‘A faculty may sometimes expect you to hire a PhD student with these funds, which places an additional burden on your time as you must now also supervise the PhD candidate.’ However, the idea in itself was great. Now, these starter and stimulus grants have been terminated due to budget cuts.
Pre-selection?
To curb the number of grant applications, and, in doing so, increase the success rates, universities planned to conduct a pre-selection to prevent proposals with little chance of success from being submitted. Could that be a solution?
No, says Brummelman. Because social safety must also be taken into account. ‘There is a myriad of risks if universities do a pre-selection. NWO committees are trained, and they even have difficulty making a selection. A pre-selection, and the dependency it brings, is dangerous, as a grant is a career stepping stone. The grants are now linked to the personnel policies.
Solid foundation
He sees only one solution: a “solid foundation” for researchers. A basic sum that each teacher or researcher can spend on research as they see fit. That increases independence. A systems change such as this is needed to fight work pressure and lack of social safety, he argues. Pumping more funds in the same system will only result in more of the same.
Smarter
Such a change, however, could take years to implement, if at all. Are there small changes that could help? Yes, says Brummelman. The Young Academy calls for a “smarter academic year” with fewer weeks of teaching. ‘Dutch universities offer approximately two months more in terms of teaching than universities of comparable quality in other European countries.’ There are currently pilots underway with an adjusted annual calendar, and the Erasmus University will be the first to implement it.
Anything else? With the slogan “everyone a professor” (which counts Wageningers among its proponents), the Young Academy challenges the existing university hierarchy. Give associate and assistant professors the right to supervise doctoral candidates, so they no longer depend on a professor. ‘Experience teaches us that social safety often stems from scarce means and power imbalance. These issues must be tackled.’
Blame
Is work pressure ultimately the result of the cabinet’s refusal to provide sufficient funding or of university administrators’ failure to get their organisation managed properly? Both, says Brummelman. Budget cuts have a disastrous effect on work pressure, but at the same time, the fact that the Labour Authority will investigate the universities and their duty of care is also good. We must design a solution to reduce internal competition for students and research funds.’
