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Recognition & Rewards survey provides valuable input for recommendations to Executive Board

23 December 2021

In June over 1,000 staff members took a survey on Recognition and Rewards at Leiden University at the invitation of the Recognition and Rewards steering group. The results of the survey are very valuable. They provide insight into the current and desired situation at Leiden University with regard to the ambitions in Academia in Motion: Recognition and Rewards at Leiden University. The respondents also made suggestions about how we can achieve the desired situation with regard to career differentiation, transparency and leadership. The Recognition and Rewards steering group would like to thank the respondents for their contribution. 

What will happen with the results?

The results will be used as input for the steering group’s recommendations to the Executive Board. This ‘Recognition and Rewards vision of change’ will describe what is needed to achieve the ambitions from Academia in Motion and the desired situation for our staff. These recommendations are not based on the survey alone: the steering group has held many discussions with staff over the past few months and analysed the career policy. It is currently finalising its recommendations and expects to present these in the first quarter of 2022, first to the Executive Board and then the deans. As well as developing these recommendations, the steering group has also provided input for the Strategic Plan, which will be presented in February. The ambitions relating to Recognition and Rewards are part of this.  

The conclusions

The steering group is pleased to share the main conclusions of the survey with you. The full report can be found here.

  • The respondents stated that they need more time for research and societal relevance and less time for teaching and leadership duties. In order to achieve this, 1/5 of the respondents say they would like to have a reduced teaching and administrative workload. International academics ask for extra attention to be paid to this.
  • The respondents feel they receive enough recognition and rewards for quantity, but that they need more recognition and rewards for other aspects of their work, such as quality. The need for change differs by faculty.
  • Of the respondents 84% feel there is a slight to a significant discrepancy between individual ambitions and the goals of the institution. The level of this discrepancy differs per faculty, job and form of employment. International academic staff experience a greater discrepancy than Dutch ones do. 
  • The respondents also indicate that they experience the greatest discrepancy in:
  1. Career opportunities in their current role;
  2. Remuneration/compensation for management tasks;
  3. Conditions for a permanent appointment;
  4. Being granted sabbatical leave;
  5. Criteria for promotion to professor, professor by special appointment or associate professor;
  6. Possible career paths within the department and University;
  7. Appointment procedure to full professor.

Some respondents indicate that they would like to spend less time on leadership (see above). At the same time, the respondents believe that not enough attention is paid in P&D interviews to leadership focusing on social and psychological safety (50% of the respondents) and collaboration (45% of the respondents). In addition, more attention is paid to academic leadership in P&D interviews within research than within teaching. Attention to academic leadership in P&D interviews within teaching is rated unsatisfactory. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about the results of the survey or about Recognition and Rewards, please contact the project leader, Vincent Wolters (v.p.wolters@bb.leidenuniv.nl).

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