"if you want to make it in research you can& #39;t work 9-5"
This makes me furious - a thread. https://twitter.com/UoM_PMH_PGRs/status/1200073421318692865">https://twitter.com/UoM_PMH_P...
0: When I was an early career researcher at Surrey, I had a similar chance to air concerns to our Dean of Research. Same subject came up: as an institution, Surrey pushes ECRs harder, for longer hours, with no rewards.
Response: work harder, can& #39;t do research on a 9-5.
Fuck that!
1: there are successful academics with work-life balances. We don& #39;t see them. In my experience, they& #39;re disproportionately underrepresented groups. They do it. It can be done. "You can& #39;t" is a lie, or it& #39;s bullshit.
2: The Uni profits off perpetuating this myth. In this sector when you work overtime, you de facto work for free. They WANT you to work for free.
3: Management perpetuates the idea that you do it for personal reasons. This is just dodging responsibility. They avoid admitting it& #39;s a systemic problem - and therefore avoid having to scrutinise themselves.
4: Other sectors do fantastic, astounding things on 9-5. Since I changed careers, I& #39;ve been literally told to go home earlier because my work habits might hurt me.
You know what?
That made me happier, more productive, harder working. Academics deserve that, too.
5: Academia doesn& #39;t track your work time. They literally don& #39;t know how much you work. They don& #39;t care. It& #39;s as much as they can squeeze. By not tracking work hours, they get away with squeezing harder.
6: Academia doesn& #39;t have managers. Few professors I& #39;ve worked with know how to effectively distribute, coordinate, track, and evaluate work. Fewer still take the time to do it.
There& #39;s a reason other sectors invest in good management - it works, it makes your teams productive.
7: Academics think that the glamour of research excuses them from investing time into boring management issues.
If anything, since they& #39;re effectively spending my taxes to do it, they have a responsibility to do it better than everyone else.
8: Perpetuating these myths has costs. Financial. Reputational. But most of all - human.
The rate of self harm, depression, suicide, anxiety, exhaustion, burnout in academia should speak for itself. It& #39;s shocking.
And it can& #39;t possibly be individual "drive to succeed" at the root
This rant is dedicated to all my friends & acquaintances who hate themselves because they& #39;ve internalized academia& #39;s bullshit culture.
I was there, once.
Demand better.
Or leave.
Because Academia doesn& #39;t deserve wonderful people like you.
/fin
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