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70 percent work overtime – only a few get paid Stress caused by all the new systems, digitalization, administration, grants and being constantly available to students. No wonder the paid working hours are insufficient for the country's university lecturers. But now, we have had enough of unpaid overtime, demands a new report from Sulf. Two lecturers at the University of Gothenburg point out that it is basically a nationwide problem that should be addressed. THE REPORT, Nu får det vara nog
– om det gränslösa, obetalda arbetet i akademin is based on the pandemic and how the country's university lecturers had to throw their course planning in the bin and deliver a new form of online teaching overnight. The results show that almost 70 percent of the lecturers worked more than their regular working hours and that the vast majority (77 percent) were not paid for it. Mats Persson, a lecturer at the Department of Law, says that although he was very tired during the pandemic, it was a state of emergency where as a citizen, you must contribute in whatever way you can.
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GUJOURNAL NOVEMBER 2021
– Obviously, it is good that people are saying that they have had enough now, but we should have been saying that a long time ago. The major problem is that for a long time, we have gradually been asked to take on new duties, small things that are difficult to say no to. Ladok 3 is the latest example, where the reporting has passed from the administration to the lecturers. This does not mean that the administrative staff are sitting idle, they are suffering from the same problem. We have to start discussing what we should use our resources for because we are heading in the wrong direction, says Mats Persson who estimates that he works between 50 and 60 hours a week. KRISTINA ALSTAM, a lecturer at the Department of Social Work, also points out how increased administrative reporting requirements in line with increased digitalization have been foisted onto lecturers. – Teaching platforms, Ladok, plagiarism checks, booking rooms, personnel administration, research applications, individual study plans – everything is done in a different digital system for which you are responsible as a lecturer.
Teaching platforms, Ladok, plagiarism checks, booking rooms, personnel administration, research applications, individual study plans – everything is done in a different digital system for which you are responsible as a lecturer. ... KRISTINA ALSTAM
The email is also part of the digital problem, which she describes as a complete and utter black hole that occupies a large part of one's working day. – There is an expectation of accessibility from, above all, the students. It is easier to resort to email and ask the lecturer than to look in the learning platform where the information is available. There is also a collegial norm of trying to answer relatively quickly, as you do not want to have to let a colleague wait for an answer. MATS PERSSON also testifies to the fact that the attitude of the students has changed. – A minority, but still a sufficiently large number, want some form of individual treatment. And the answers to 90 percent of their questions can be found
