The University of Cambridge has been accused of allowing bullying and harassment to become “entrenched and normalised” after it was revealed that only a quarter of staff are happy with how the institution handles concerns.
Cambridge surveyed about 3,000 members – around a quarter – of university staff on staff culture – the results of which can be revealed following a Freedom of Information request by Times Higher Education.
Conducted in January and February last year, the survey results show that the vast majority (84 per cent) of staff knew where and how to report discrimination, harassment or abuse.
But only 62 per cent said they would feel comfortable raising concerns if they witnessed or experienced it, and just 27 per cent were satisfied with how bullying and harassment are addressed in their department.
In addition, half of respondents felt that their mental health and well-being were supported, and just 45 per cent feel confident asking for support.
And staff were clearly not hopeful that much will change. Just 27 per cent believed that action would be taken on the results of the survey.
The findings on bullying follow on from a 2020 survey, when 21 per cent of staff members reported experiencing bullying.
Wyn Evans, professor of astrophysics at Cambridge and leader of the 21 Group which sprung up as a result of those findings, said “zero tolerance to bullying means zero bullying”.
“Instead, there are a number of problematic departments and institutes in which bullying and harassment has become entrenched and normalised,” he said.
“The 21 Group urges the university to put these departments into immediate special measures. This must include removing the failing heads of department or school, as well as reforming the departmental management and human resources structures.”
Evans said there has been some progress – but warned that some departments were still performing “miserably”.
His own research has found that the proportion of staff dissatisfied with how bullying and harassment is dealt with is as high as 40 or 50 per cent in many departments.
The 2024 survey, which did not include college staff, pinpointed problems around overworking, with only 55 per cent of staff reporting that their workload is manageable.
And 54 per cent said there had been a noticeable increase in workload in the past two years – almost half of whom said it was unmanageable.
The results also showed issues with career development. A third of those surveyed said there were sufficient opportunities for career progression at Cambridge and 63 per cent said their line manager supported their career development.
Around two-thirds of respondents were professional, support or technical staff, and a third were academics or researchers – with clear divides between the two groups.
Four-fifths of those surveyed said they were treated with professional and personal courtesy by their professional services colleagues, but only 59 per cent reported the same for their academic colleagues.
Yvonne Nobis, the University and College Union casework coordinator at Cambridge, said the results were “very worrying” and reflected the branch’s own findings.
“Investigation processes take far too long, and in many cases, outcomes serve to reinforce the ‘status quo’ of university line management structures. We need real change to improve the working lives of our members,” she said.
In response, Cambridge said it encouraged staff to raise issues, including allowing them to be open about issues such as bullying and harassment.
A spokesperson added: “The university strives, at all times, to provide an inclusive and supportive working environment where staff feel valued and where any concerns they have are taken seriously.”
