Improving the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the University Workforce

As the university sector becomes accustomed to unprecedented challenges, so the pressures on its workforce continue to mount – but what thought is being given to the design and impact of the work carried out by staff in these unparalleled times?

This special one-day event asks key questions and seeks meaningful and practical solutions to support university staff across all sections of the workforce where leadership, health and wellbeing and human resources are a key focus. How realistic are expectations on the workforce to adjust continually to renewed and expanding remits, often over areas where they have limited control such as graduate destinations and student demands and progression? What is the toll of juggling the multiple and sometimes conflicting roles of teaching, research, and administration, where staff are already working hard to support, satisfy and classify? Against the backdrop of continuing concerns over resourcing, rewards, and metrics, how successful are universities in recognising the value and well-being of all their employees?

Organised to coinciding with World Mental Health Day, this conference features key speakers whose high-level roles reflect the perspectives of university employers, university leaders and staff on challenges facing the mental health and wellbeing of all working in this sector. They include Professor Gail Kinman from Birkbeck, University of London, John de Pury, Assistant Director of Policy at Universities UK and Professor Nic Beech, Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University and President of the British Academy of Management.

The focus of the event is on identifying potential solutions, as well as recognising the challenges, in hopes that through group-work with other delegates and conversation with our invited speakers, concerns can be aired, ideas and good practice shared, and actions prepared.

The relationship between work performance and wellbeing is well-known, and in a sector where the psychological environment is the main focus of so much of our work, we have a tangible opportunity to place universities where they need to be, in setting the pace for progress, at the forefront of innovation in improving wellbeing at work. It is hoped that learning from one another and utilising the knowledge we bring together as colleagues that we can facilitate positive change and the political will to do so in your own university. Whether shifting attitudes among senior leaders to risk assess the impact of their key decisions on staff wellbeing, to introducing email policies that mean colleagues really can ‘switch off’, the opportunity to shape the future of this sector is clear and you are vital to its success.

We look forward to welcoming you to the University of Salford, where the recent establishment of a University Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing forum has led to a range of commitments and actions to promote staff well-being and follows on from notable success in the provision of tertiary level support for staff mental health and well-being. Like other universities, we recognise the importance of preventing problems and we are keen to play our part in promoting national commitment and actions that improve the mental health and wellbeing of the whole university workforce.

For further information or queries regarding this event please contact [email protected]

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Adelphi House, Adelphi Street, Manchester, United Kingdom