DOCUMENT RESUME HE 027 930 ED 377 747 Boyd, Sally; Wylie, Cathy AUTHOR Workload and Stress in New Zealand Universities. TITLE Association of Univ. Staff of New Zealand, INSTITUTION Wellington.; New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Wellington. ISBN-0-908916-74-4 REPORT NO PUB DATE 94 NOTE 114p. Research/Technical (143) PUB TYPE Reports Tests /Evaluation Instruments (160) MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Academic Libraries; College Faculty; *Educational DESCRIPTORS Change; Employee Attitudes; Faculty Workload; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Librarians; *Personnel; Questionnaires; Salaries; Sex Differen.ces; *Stress Management; Universities; *Work Attitudes; *Work Environment; Working Hours *Faculty Attitudes; *New Zealand IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This study examined the workloads of academic, general, support, library, and technical staff of New Zealand universities. It focused on current levels of workload, changes in workload levels and content, connections between workload and stress, and staff attitudes towards the effects of workload changes and educational reforms on the quality of their work. A total of 1,181 Association of University Staff members were surveyed through mailed questionnaires. The findings showed increasing workloads and stress for many university staff, and suggest that the overall quality of working life is declining for many university staff. Many of those surveyed felt that their work was often or always stressful; the majority stated that their work had become more stressful recently, and that they saw this trend continuing in the future. One of the major factors involved in the increase in stress levels was increase in workload. Females and recently appointed academics were identified with academics in as more likely to experience stress compared general. Two appendixes provide demographic information about the respondents, additional data tables, and copies of the academic and administrative support personnel questionnaires. (Contains 33 references.) (MDM) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** 7 U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS Offoce or Educations! Reseaicn and improvement MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) New Zealand Council document nas been reproduced as received from the off:Oh or organization originating it for Educational O Minor changes nave been made to improve Research motel:WOO, (Willey WORKLOAD AND STRESS IN NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITIES Sally Boyd and Cathy Wylie New Zealand Council for Educational Research and The Association of University Staff of New Zealand 1994 New Zealand Council for Educational Research PO Box 3237 Wellington New Zealand The Association of University Staff of New Zealand PO Box 11-767 Wellington New Zealand NZCER and AUSNZ, 1994 ISBN 0-908916-744 Distributed by NZCER Distribution Services PO Box 3237 Wellington New Zealand ii 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Tables vi Acknowledgments viii SUMMARY 1 All Occupational Groups 1 2 Academic Staff 2 General Staff 3 Academic Support Staff 3 Administrative Support Staff 4 Library Staff 4 Technical Staff INTRODUCTION 5 5 Review of Current Situation 5 Background Literature Review 5 Overseas Research: Workload 5 Workload 6 Staff: Student Ratios 7 Administration Staff and Salaries 7 Issues 7 Overseas Research: Stress 7 All University Staff 8 Academic Staff 9 Library Staff 9 Teachers 10 New Zealand Research Recommendations for Workload and Stress Management from the Research 11 12 Summary SAMPLE DESIGN 13 13 Survey Development 13 Questionnaire Trial ling 13 Sampling 13 Interpretation of Tables and Statistics 14 Analysis 14 Response Characteristics 14 Sample Representativeness RESULTS 15 1 - WORK HOURS, WORK STATUS, AND SALARY 15 15 Employment Status 16 Average Hours Worked Per Week 17 Work Outside University Hours 17 Average Salary of Full-time Staff 18 Adequacy of Salary 5 iii Summary 19 2 - RESPONSIBILITIES 20 Teaching Responsibilities 20 Academic Staff 20 Academic Support Staff 20 Administrative Support staff 20 Library Staff 20 Technical Staff 21 Student Numbers 21 Workload Responsibilities 22 Academic Staff 1 22 Academic Support Staff 22 Administrative Support Staff 22 Library Staff 22 Technical Staff 22 Summary 23 3 - CHANGES 24 Changes to Total Workload 24 1 Changes to Workload Areas 25 Expected Changes to Workload in the Future 26 Changes to the Number of Requests for Services 26 Academic Support Staff 26 Administrative Support Staff 26 Library Staff 27 Technical Staff 27 Changes to the Number of Students Taught or Instructed 27 Changes to Work Situation 27 Summary 28 4 - REASONS FOR CHANGES 30 Reasons for Changes to Workload 30 Reasons for Changes to Work Situation 31 Balance in Workload 32 Training 32 Summary 33 5 - IMPACTS OF CHANGES 34 Impact on Workloads 34 Impact of Increasing Numbers of Students Taught or Instructed 35 Other Impacts of Changes to Workload 35 Impact of Changes to University Structure and Management 37 Impact on Personal and Family Life 38 Work-related Injuries or Stress Illnesses 38 Summary 39 iv 6 - STRESSES AND PRESSURES 40 Current Stress Levels 40 Recent Changes to Stress Levels 41 Expected Changes to Stress Levels in the Future 42 Stress Ratings 43 Sources of Stress 45 Stress Profile 47 Academic Staff 47 Academic Support Staff 47 Administrative Support Staff 47 Library Staff 47 Technical Staff 47 Relationship Between Workload and Stress 48 Relationship Between Gender and Stress for Academic Staff 49 Current Job Satisfaction 50 Recent Changes to Job Satisfaction 51 Summary 52 7 - IMPROVEMENTS AND ISSUES 53 Work Improvements 53 Summary 54 Current Issues 55 Issues for Academic Staff 56 Auckland 56 Waikato 56 Massey 57 Victoria 57 Canterbury 57 Lincoln 57 Otago 57 Equity 57 Summary 58 8 - OVERVIEW: RESULTS AND ISSUES 59 APPENDIX A: Details of Respondents and Additional Tables 61 APPENDIX B: Academic and Administrative Support Questionnaires 75 References 103 7 Tables Page 15 Type of Contract 1 15 Term of Contract 2 16 Total Length of Time in University Employment 3 16 Length of Time in Present Position 4 17 Average Hours Worked Per Week by Full-time Respondents 5 18 Average Salary of Full-time Respondents 6 18 Views of Salary Adequacy in Relation to Work 7 19 Comments on Salary Adequacy 8 21 Minimum Number of Students Taught or Assisted in Any One Course 9 22 Maximum Number of Students Taught or Assisted in Any One Course 10 24 Changes to Total Workload in Recent Years 11 24 Increases to Workload by University 12 Net Difference Between the Percentage of Respondents Reporting Increases 13 25 ane Decreases in Work Areas 26 Expected Workload Levels in Future 14 27 Changes to the Number of Students Taught or Instructed . 15 Net Difference Between the Percentage of Respondents Reporting Improvement 16 28 and Deterioration in Work Situation 30 Reasons for Workload Changes 17 31 Reasons for Work Situation Changes 18 32 Balance in Workload 19 33 Net Percentage of Respondents Receiving Adequate Training 20 34 Impact of Change on Number of Requests for Services 21 35 Impact of Increasing Numbers of Students Taught or Instructed 22 36 Impact of Workload Changes 23 37 Impact of Change to University Structure and Management 24 Respondents Experiencing Work-related Injuries or Stress Illnesses 25 38 a While in University Employment 39 Work-related Injuries and Stress Illnesses 26 40 Current Work Stress 27 41 Stress Levels by University 28 42 Recent Changes to Stress Levels 29 42 Recent Changes to Stress Levels by University 30 43 Expected Stress Levels in Future 31 44 Respondents Factors Rated as "Always" or "Often" Stressful by 25% or More of 32 45 Respondents Factors Rated as "Always" or "Often" Stressful by 10% or Less of 33 46 Stresses Mentioned by More than 10% of Respondents 34 50 Current Levels of Job Satisfaction 35 51 Recent Changes to Levels of Job Satisfaction 36 51 Likelihood of Being in University Employment in 1999 37 10% Changes That Would Make Work More Worthwhile Listed by More than 38 53 of Respondents 55 Current Issues Mentioned by More than 10% of Respondents 39 61 Sample Population 40 8 vi Return Rate by Occupational Group and University 41 61 42 Ethnicity of Respondents 62 Gender of Respondents 43 62 44 Age of Respondents 63 Location Within University 45 63 46 Representativeness by University 64 47 Representativeness by Gender 64 48 Representativeness by Academic Rank 64 49 Percentage of Respondents Reporting Increases in Workload Ale3S 65 50 Percentage of Respondents Reporting No Change in Workload Areas 66 Percentage of Respondents Reporting Decreases in Workload Areas 51 67 52 Percentage of Respondents Reporting Improvement in Work Situation 68 53 Percentage of Respondents Reporting No Change in Work Situation 69 54 Percentage of Respondents Reporting Deterioration in Work Situation 70 Balance of Workload 55 71 56 Impacts of Changes to University Structure and Management: Comments Made by 10% or Less of Those Responding to the Question 72 57 Impacts of Workload Changes: Comments Made by 10% or Less of Those Responding to the Question 72 58 Factors Rated as "Always" or "Often" Stressful by Less than 25% of Respondents 73 59 Percentage of Respondents Receiving Adequate Training 74 60 Percentage of Respondents Not Receiving Adequate Training 74 Training: Other Categories (Unsure/Not Applicable) 61 74 9 vii Acknowledgments The authors are very grateful to all those AUS members who responded to the trial and C.nal questionnaires; the members of the steering committee: Alistair Anderson, Jenny Chapman, Christine Cheyne, Charlotte Fitzgt -ald, Terry Gourley, Jenny Hart, Anne Jackson, Nick Park, Varvara Richards, and Bill Rosenberg; Rob Crozier and AUS national office staff for their comments, advice, and help; the AUS National Committees for help with questionnaire trialling; Dave Clarke for information on stress research at Massey; Val Podmore for advice and feedback on the draft report; Pat Webster for coding of the questionnaires; Dehe Mansfield for the cover illustration; Dave Atmore for sampling advice; Barb Bishop and Gloria Hanson for data analysis; Peter Ridder for advice on design; Fay Swann for editing; Carlene Grigg, Angela Tennant, and Anita Walford for data entry; Lia Armstrong and Sonia Tamasese for secretarial services; and Barbara McKenzie and Keith Pickens for literature searches. 1 0 viii