A collaborative study by People Insight and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) has revealed an increasing disparity in how academic and professional services staff experience their working lives within the UK’s higher education institutions.
Entitled A Tale of Two Perspectives: Bridging the Gap in HE Employee Experience, the report draws on responses from over 240,000 staff members across more than 75 universities, making it the most in-depth analysis of its kind in the sector.
While the data indicates modest improvements in some areas — including a greater sense of belonging and progress in career development since the pandemic — it also shows that key support mechanisms introduced during COVID-19 have since been withdrawn. This has resulted in a return to siloed ways of working and an increasingly uneven recovery between different groups of university staff.
Key findings include:
- Only 43% of academic staff feel they can comfortably manage their workload, compared to 63% of professional services staff.
- Academic staff are far less likely to feel supported on wellbeing, with only 44% agreeing their university supports their health and wellbeing at work.
- While 87% of academic staff find their work interesting and challenging, only 55% feel valued for what they do.
- Satisfaction with total benefits among academic staff stands at just 38%, well below averages from other sectors.
Professor Ken Sloan, Chair of the UCEA Employee Reference Group and Vice-Chancellor of Harper Adams University, said: “This report is both honest and timely. It provides the sector with a clear view of where we have made progress and where more targeted effort is needed. By surfacing the experience of academic and professional services staff side by side, it gives institutions the insight to support meaningful change.”
Tom Debenham, Managing Director at People Insight, added: “Higher education institutions face growing financial and operational pressures. In this context, understanding employee experience, especially where it diverges, is more important than ever. Our report offers data-backed guidance to help universities design people strategies that are inclusive, fair and effective.”
The report includes practical, evidence-based recommendations for how HEIs can improve the experience of academic and professional services staff alike.
Case studies from institutions such as Manchester Metropolitan University and a selection of post-1992 and Russell Group universities showcase how survey insights have been turned into action — driving improvements in engagement, leadership communication and employee wellbeing.
The report also introduces the
Inspire HE rankings — a new system recognising universities who excel in employee experience through effective employee listening.
