What do academic staff really think about work? What the data reveals

A quick insight: Academic staff work-life balance is shaped by competing demands across teaching, research, administration and service. When expectations are unclear or support is limited, workloads can overwhelm wellbeing and engagement. Focusing on clearer prioritisation, stronger leadership dialogue and practical support helps academics manage demands more sustainably and feel more supported in both their personal and professional lives.

The employee experience in higher education is not one-size-fits-all — and our latest research, released in partnership with UCEA, confirms that the gap between academic staff and professional services employees is growing in meaningful ways.

Drawing on survey results from over 240,000 responses across 75+ universities, the report, A Tale of Two Perspectives: Bridging the Gap in HE, reveals how perceptions of workload, wellbeing, recognition and development vary significantly between these two groups. Understanding these differences is not about comparison for the sake of it — it’s about knowing where change is needed, and how to act.

Whether you’re part of a university HR team, an institutional leader or managing academic staff directly, these insights can help guide people strategy that’s both fair and informed.

Related: What’s it really like to work in HE?

Workload and pressure: not a shared experience

The most pronounced disparity between academic staff and professional services employees relates to workload. Only 43% of academic staff feel they can comfortably manage their workload — compared to 63% of professional services employees.

This gap highlights more than a difference in duties. Academic staff need to balance teaching, marking, student support, research and grant applications — often with inconsistent term structures, funding deadlines and pressure to publish. These demands are frequently unpredictable and can extend well beyond contracted hours. In fact, one source suggests that the average working week for academic staff is an incredible 51 hours, which exceeds the legal maximum.

By contrast, professional services employees typically operate within more structured schedules and often have clearer role boundaries. While their workloads are no less significant, the rhythm of their work tends to be more consistent.

The pandemic brought these contrasts into sharp focus. Many universities adapted rapidly to remote teaching and working, but those adaptations did not ease pressure equally. For academic staff, the shift to online teaching actually added significant new demands — including reworking course content, mastering digital platforms and managing student expectations at a distance. Meanwhile, many professional services teams benefited from streamlined processes, improved flexibility and clearer role clarity during the same period.

While some institutions have begun exploring solutions — like workload reviews and prioritisation training — the long-term strain on academic roles remains a core challenge.

Related case study: Check out the Catalyst IT Europe approach to autonomy and balance

Wellbeing and work-life balance

Academic staff are also more likely to report negative experiences when it comes to health, wellbeing and balance. Only 44% feel their university supports their wellbeing at work, compared with 61% of professional services employees.

When asked about their ability to strike a good balance between work and home life, just 48% of academic staff agreed — in contrast to 71% of professional services staff. These numbers place both groups below the all-sector norm of 67%–69%, but the gap is particularly pronounced for academics.

The impact of COVID-19 on this area has been significant. While professional services employees have benefited from long-term hybrid working arrangements introduced during the pandemic, academic staff have faced more constraints. Timetabled teaching, lab access and student engagement needs often prevent the same degree of flexibility. As a result, the legacy of remote work is still uneven across the sector.

Rising expectations around wellbeing support, paired with stretched resources and financial uncertainty in the sector, are also shaping these perceptions. Institutions that invested in structured employee wellbeing programmes and open dialogue during the pandemic are seeing stronger outcomes — but many still have work to do.

Related: Real-world ways universities are improving wellbeing in higher education

Recognition and feeling valued

The report also uncovered a significant gap in recognition and reward. Only 55% of academic staff feel valued for the work they do, while 63% of professional services staff say the same. When it comes to benefits, just 38% of academic staff are satisfied — 15 percentage points below the all-sector norm.

This is particularly striking when you consider that 87% of academic staff say their work is interesting and challenging and 80% report a strong sense of personal achievement. Despite being deeply engaged in their roles, many academics feel under-appreciated and under-compensated.

The pressures of the pandemic — especially for staff delivering frontline teaching and student support during campus closures — have shaped ongoing expectations around recognition. Where institutions have failed to follow up with meaningful acknowledgement or ongoing investment in staff wellbeing and reward, frustration has grown.

HEIs are beginning to respond, with more structured recognition programmes, personal messages of thanks from senior leaders and improved internal communications. But perceptions will take time to shift and must be underpinned by real change, not one-off token gestures.

Related: How HEIs are addressing reward and recognition in higher education

Support and development

Manager support is another area where academic staff trail behind. Only 51% feel their manager takes time to coach and develop them — compared to 60% of professional services staff. When asked whether they’ve received adequate training to perform their role, 58% of academic staff agreed, against 65% of professional services employees.

Academic roles are often less centrally managed, with fewer formal structures in place to guide performance and development. During the pandemic, many academics were left to navigate shifting demands with limited guidance, while professional services staff often had clearer lines of support.

This experience has left a mark. Both staff groups have seen slight improvements in training access since 2021, but perceptions of support remain divided — particularly around ongoing development conversations and coaching.

What’s improved since COVID?

Since 2020, there have been some really positive movements in certain areas:

• Sense of community has risen from 58% in 2020 to 68% in 2024
  
• Career development scores have improved from 39% to 46%

These improvements are attributed to the return of in-person interaction, greater awareness of learning needs and more targeted initiatives. Workshops, mentoring programmes and clearer promotion pathways have all played a part.

However, one area that has regressed is cross-departmental collaboration. At the height of the pandemic, institutions adopted new coordination methods — many of which brought departments closer together. But in 2024, only 34% of staff agree that collaboration is strong, down from 52% during the pandemic.

The challenge now is to sustain what worked — and avoid slipping back into disconnected, siloed ways of working.

Listening is the first step

For HEIs to do well, they need to be powered by ambitious, keen and engaged academic staff. Their experience of work directly shapes teaching, research and reputation. And yet, in too many institutions, they feel overlooked when it comes to recognition, wellbeing and support.

The pandemic has amplified these issues, but it has also created new awareness of the need to listen. Employee voice, captured regularly and acted on effectively, is the foundation for positive change.

Higher education can’t afford to ignore this feedback. By listening regularly and taking action based on real insight, universities can build more inclusive, effective and supportive environments — for academic staff and all employees alike.

At People Insight, we help universities like yours run higher education staff surveys that capture real experiences — and turn that feedback into meaningful change. Whether you’re benchmarking employee sentiment, exploring the academic–professional services gap or tracking the impact of your latest initiative, as the leading provider of staff surveys for the sector, we’re perfectly positioned to help.

Enquire now about our higher education staff surveys and start building a stronger employee experience for your people.