9 October 2025

In May 2025, the Employee Experience Survey was conducted among all Leiden University staff members. The initial results were shared at the beginning of July. But what are the next steps for the faculty and university? 

Key faculty results 
The faculty results of the Employee Experience Survey show that our employees generally have a high regard for their colleagues and managers and that they feel a strong sense of connection to the university. They also express their appreciation for the flexible working arrangements and feel a high degree of autonomy.  

Concerns 
The main concerns expressed relate to: work pressure, career progression, promotion/learning and development opportunities, and trust in the organisation. On this last point, Leiden University scores lower than other universities in the Netherlands. The lower scores on trust are mainly due to lower ratings on topdown communication and insight into the mission, values and strategy of the university and faculty. With regard to work pressure, employees see the amount of work in combination with the available staffing levels, peak loads, performance pressure, administrative burden and work-life balance as important causes. 

Managers meeting 
At a faculty management meeting on 16 September, the faculty results were discussed. Managers were asked to talk to staff in their own departments. The aim is to identify one or two action points that they will work on as a department or team in the coming period. The identified action points are forwarded to HR. The departments continue with the action points that they can work on themselves. However, for matters that are more cross-departmental, a faculty-wide approach may be more effective. HR then incorporates these action points into a faculty action plan. 

Psychosocial risks at work (PSR) 
This faculty action plan also looks at the Psychosocial risks at work (PSR) of employees. In addition to the regular work experience survey, the survey also included three PSR-questionnaires. The results of these questionnaires provide insight into the factors that play a role in this, such as work pressure, inappropriate behaviour and social safety.  

Regular monitoring 
In order to provide insight into the actions taken in the action plan, we as HR carry out regular monitoring. Both our staff (via the newsletter) and the Netherlands Labour Authority are kept informed of the results.  

Various initiatives 
In addition to a faculty action plan currently being prepared by HR, various initiatives are already underway that are in line with the results of the survey: 

• At university level, action is being taken in the area of internal communication. When it comes to improving internal line communication and information exchange, everyone has a role to play. In addition to managers, who play a key role in this, everyone is responsible for sharing information that is relevant to others. 

• Another important step is the launch of a renewed faculty career policy, which provides clarity on criteria and (transparent) procedures. It also provides insight into the internal training opportunities and other forms of support available for the personal development of employees. The faculty working group Academia in Motion is currently finalising this.  

Questions 
If you have any questions about the work experience survey, please contact your manager. In case of questions about the content of this message, please contact your HR adviser.