Fewer employees have experienced stress or offensive behaviour

The APV and Well-Being Survey 2024 was conducted across all of SDU in October, and the results are now available to everyone.

The response rate of the survey was high. Almost 3,500 employees have given their assessment of the working environment at SDU, which equals response rates of 82 per cent for the mental working environment and 80 per cent for the physical working environment.

- Many thanks to employees, managers, health and safety representatives and managers, and union representatives for their great commitment and work with this year’s APV and Well-Being Survey. With a response rate of over 80 per cent, we have achieved a fantastic result, which provides a solid basis for further work on the working environment at SDU, says Rector Jens Ringsmose and elaborates:

- A good working environment is essential to enable us as researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical-administrative staff to deliver high quality in our work, and this is a prerequisite for us as a university to create value for and with the society around us. Therefore, the great commitment to the APV process is appreciated, and it commits us all to act on the insights that we have gathered about our working environment in 2024.

Overall satisfaction and positive trends

Here is an overview of the results at university level and the next steps in the APV process.

One uplifting conclusion from the survey is that more than 9 out of 10 employees are satisfied with their work and find it meaningful. At the same time, the working environment has improved in several areas:

Flexibility: SDU is a flexible workplace, which is appreciated by both academic and technical-administrative staff. The assessment among SDU employees is overwhelmingly that flexibility contributes to increasing the quality of their work.

Stress: Fewer employees feel burdened by stress. This is the biggest positive development compared to 2021, when the APV and Well-Being Survey was last conducted.

Offensive behaviour: Fewer people have experienced offensive behaviour in the past 12 months than was the case in 2021. Most of these have spoken to a manager, an employee representative or a colleague and received help if they needed it.

Management: In the survey, employees indicate that management has become better at discussing and prioritising work tasks and also ensures greater co-determination and involvement.

The results show that we can create improvements in the working environment if we work together and focus on the challenges we are facing.

Challenges and focus areas

Although the survey demonstrates progress, it also points to challenges that must be taken seriously:

Stress: Almost 4 out of 10 employees are experiencing stress, most often as a result of a persistently large workload. But too high, too low or unclear demands, insufficient collegial or managerial support and feedback, changes, reorganisation or unpredictability in the work, and co-operation or role conflicts also contribute to stress.

Offensive behaviour: 1 in 10 have experienced offensive behaviour during their employment at SDU, in most cases bullying and discrimination. Although most of these people have talked to someone about the experience and received help, there are still cases in which the support is not perceived as adequate.

Rude behaviour: 1 in 3 have experienced rude or inappropriate behaviour. Most often that a manager or a colleague did not listen to what was said or was uninterested in their opinion, behaved in a humiliating or condescending way, or doubted their judgement.

Management: Just under 2 in 10 are dissatisfied with the management they experience. In particular, the management of conflicts and failure to thrive requires more attention.

Physical working environment: Although the physical working environment is generally assessed as good, there are local challenges, particularly regarding the indoor climate, and also wishes for improvements with regard to ergonomics, meeting and teaching rooms, and IT.

New areas

This year, the APV and Well-Being Survey also introduced new questions on diversity, gender equality and inclusion, as well as absence due to illness:

Diversity: The majority (just over 9 out of 10) believe that SDU works to promote diversity, equality and inclusion, but one in three indicate that they have little or no knowledge of what they themselves can do to promote diversity, equality and inclusion.

Absence due to illness: 7% have been ill or injured as a result of their work in the past year. The main reason is related to stress.

This is how we proceed

According to Karna Kühnell Gautier, head of Work Environment and Development, SDU HR, the APV and Well-Being Survey 2024 emphasises that the ongoing work with the working environment makes a difference:

- There are positive results in this year’s APV and Well-Being Survey, which shows that we can improve the working environment – even in challenging areas such as stress and offensive behaviour. These results highlight the importance of continuing the work and strengthening the efforts, she says and elaborates:

- In the coming months, we will discuss the results, understand their background and agree on health and safety initiatives. At university level, there are (at least) three important focal points we must work on: Stress and work pressure, in which we are on the right track, but not yet on target; management, in which we must strengthen particularly the management of conflicts and failure to thrive; and diversity, equality and inclusion, in which we must raise awareness and increase knowledge.

The next steps

Discussion of results: The reports are available to all and the units are invited to discuss the findings thoroughly. The survey is a starting point for dialogue that will enable the health and safety work to progress.

Identification of focus points: No later than 24 February, the health and safety groups must submit focus points to the health and safety committees and liaison committees of the faculties and the Central Administration.

Schedule and action plan: Initiatives must be described in the units’’ action plans no later than 30 April.

Prevention and solutions: A focus on both short-term measures that can solve urgent problems and long-term interventions that strengthen the working environment at all levels is recommended.