Learning from the impact of individual identities on staff’s experiences during Covid-19: Moving toward ethically implementing new styles of working

Abstract

We will report the findings of our qualitative survey of 118 staff members at Edinburgh Napier University. We found a highly nuanced impact on protected groups with individual situations, resources, and challenges contributing to the perceived impact on staff experiences. Support from immediate line managers and colleagues differed widely and directly impacted staff’s self-efficacy and overall wellbeing. A feeling of disconnection from university communities further isolated staff, negatively impacting wellbeing. Differences in staff experiences suggest that one-size fits all approaches are unlikely to be effective and indicate a need to build on individual empathies when designing university policies. The discussion of our findings will lead into an open discussion with session participants on how we can centre staff wellbeing in a flexible way that considers individual situations, resources, and challenges, promoting staff autonomy. We are keen to also develop discussion around how this approach might impact on students’ experiences.

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http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2984205