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Some thoughts on #workculture & #academia for this coming #LaborDay
#AcademicChatter #highereducation
The fact that most people use this day to catch up on work I hope reminds us how self-destructive US work-culture is. 40+ hrs/wk is not healthy. Never has been.
1/many (sry)
#AcademicChatter #highereducation
The fact that most people use this day to catch up on work I hope reminds us how self-destructive US work-culture is. 40+ hrs/wk is not healthy. Never has been.
1/many (sry)
Doesn’t matter if we “love” our jobs - it feeds the beast.
Academia is a most atrocious culprit in this scheme. I’ve been dreaming of being a professor for years but never thought it was realistic. First, for personal background reasons, I didn’t think I had “what it takes.”
Academia is a most atrocious culprit in this scheme. I’ve been dreaming of being a professor for years but never thought it was realistic. First, for personal background reasons, I didn’t think I had “what it takes.”
Now, the foremost deterrence of even THINKING of this dream is the toxic overworking culture!! This is the dark cloud above my head anytime I consider a career in academia. It’s looming and intimidating...
And to go off on a tangent, if this is the case for me (a white male), just try to imagine how intersectional folks constantly feel. The burden of overworking can dwarf in comparison to the racism, sexism, homophobia, discrim. in academia.
Many underrep. minorities thus have to work EVEN HARDER to be recognized or even just respected.
My point being, to be more inclusive we have to eliminate this pressure in all ranks, especially the student population. B/c the students getting the goods grades, doing research,
My point being, to be more inclusive we have to eliminate this pressure in all ranks, especially the student population. B/c the students getting the goods grades, doing research,
publishing, going to society meetings, making connections, etc. often are those who don’t have to work/pay for their own education simultaneously (this includes myself). That all gives a long-lasting advantage through school & into careers. Just ask anyone with student debt!
I can’t speak to experiences of faculty and research scientists as much but I know they’re overworked - I see it constantly. Some perpetuate this culture and others are battered by it. And we all know it’s bad for everyone, it affects everyone.
I realize this is a plague (larger than academia) much like #covid19 and so it won’t be cured overnight. But if we banded together, like we have against this virus, and we completely alter the way we think and operate - it can happen. It’s possible.
So I implore y’all to think how we each personally contribute to the culture of overworking & how we are exploited by it b/c we ALL are on either end at one point or another.
Encourage your grad students to not work on the holiday. Ignore that email until Monday (or Tuesday in
Encourage your grad students to not work on the holiday. Ignore that email until Monday (or Tuesday in
this weekend’s case). Discuss w/ your fellow faculty and inform admin you won’t take on those addit’l responsibilities. Eliminate the #GRE in your admissions process!
It starts w/ these small actions to encourage our work envrnmt to do the same. Structural change could follow
It starts w/ these small actions to encourage our work envrnmt to do the same. Structural change could follow
Let’s work towards a postmodern, inclusive, all-encompassing labor movement!!
Resources below to learn more about labor movement history and references supporting my rant lol
Open to discussions
Resources below to learn more about labor movement history and references supporting my rant lol
Open to discussions
Labor Day, History:
State of the 40-Hour Workweek: https://www.creditloan.com/blog/the-state-of-the-40-hour-workweek/
Relative hours worked in US educational sectors since 2000 (source within):
State of the 40-Hour Workweek: https://www.creditloan.com/blog/the-state-of-the-40-hour-workweek/
Relative hours worked in US educational sectors since 2000 (source within):
Why are Americans spending too much time at work?
"The authors point to rising economic inequality as one possible reason for the culture of overwork...They also blame the country’s outdated overtime laws, which do little to protect white collar workers." https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jun/30/america-working-hours-minimum-wage-overworked
"The authors point to rising economic inequality as one possible reason for the culture of overwork...They also blame the country’s outdated overtime laws, which do little to protect white collar workers." https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jun/30/america-working-hours-minimum-wage-overworked
Long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: a systematic review... https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60295-1/fulltext
What researchers think about the culture they work in (United Kingdom survey)
Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03075079.2020.1712693?journalCode=cshe20
Report/key findings: https://wellcome.ac.uk/reports/what-researchers-think-about-research-culture
Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03075079.2020.1712693?journalCode=cshe20
Report/key findings: https://wellcome.ac.uk/reports/what-researchers-think-about-research-culture
Opinion column (Reason for overworking: "Academics receive work from at least seven independent sources): https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2014/12/01/essay-why-academics-feel-overworked
