The Australian University Staff: Work, Digital Stress, and Wellbeing Survey report compiles four years of surveys from 2020 to 2023, providing insight into the mental health of staff working in Australian universities and the workplace conditions at play.
Metrics examined in the report include email overload, work pressure, and psychological distress.
Results indicate staff face harmful conditions in organisations performing below national benchmarks for workplace wellbeing, serving as a wake-up call to employers in the sector.
Over the four years covered by the report, emotional exhaustion has risen, while engagement has fallen. As researchers state, 'In many ways and metrics, the university sector is letting its staff down.'
Some measures worth highlighting include:
- 67% at high or very high risk
- 9% report high or very high psychological distress
- 28% report high or very high exhaustion
- 84% report having high work pressure