jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Advertise a Job
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters with Examples
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Career Progression Stories
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • FE Career Advice
    • FE CV & Interview Tips
    • Working in FE
    • Managing your Career in FE
    • FE Jobs Profiles
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Job Profiles
      • Biological Science Jobs
      • Health and Medical Jobs
      • Engineering and Technology Jobs
      • Computer Science Jobs
      • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
      • Professional Service Jobs
        • Business Development Manager Jobs Profile
        • Chef Jobs Profile
        • Civil Service Jobs Profile
        • Email Marketing Jobs Profile
        • SEO Jobs Profile
        • Office Admin Jobs
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Dubai
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Work in Vietnam – Country Profile
      • Work in Uzbekistan – Country Profile
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • PhD and Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Need help advertising a job?
  • About jobs.ac.uk
  • Ask A Professional
  • Academic Spotlight Interviews
  • Menu
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • Free CV Templates
      • Cover Letters with Examples
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Career Progression Stories
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
      • Working From Home
    • Women in Higher Education
    • FE Career Advice
      • FE CV & Interview Tips
      • Working in FE
      • Managing your Career in FE
      • FE Jobs Profiles
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Vlogs
      • Job Profiles
        • Biological Science Jobs
        • Health and Medical Jobs
        • Engineering and Technology Jobs
        • Computer Science Jobs
        • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
        • Professional Service Jobs
        • Civil Service jobs
    • Webinars
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Work in Egypt – Country Profile
        • Work in Ghana – Country Profile
        • Work in Kenya – Country Profile
        • Work in Nigeria – Country Profile
        • Work in South Africa – Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Work in Canada – Country Profile
        • Work in the United States of America – Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Work in Bahrain – Country Profile
        • Work in Brunei – Country Profile
        • Work in China – Country Profile
        • Work in Hong Kong – Country Profile
        • Work in India – Country Profile
        • Work in Japan – Country Profile
        • Work in Kazakhstan – Country Profile
        • Work in Malaysia – Country Profile
        • Work in Qatar – Country Profile
        • Work in Saudi Arabia – Country Profile
        • Work in Singapore – Country Profile
        • Work in South Korea – Country Profile
        • Work in Turkey – Country Profile
        • Work in United Arab Emirates – Country Profile
      • Dubai
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Work in Denmark – Country Profile
        • Work in Finland – Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Work in Germany – Country Profile
        • Work in Ireland – Country Profile
        • Work in Italy – Country Profile
        • Work in the Netherlands – Country Profile
        • Work in Norway – Country Profile
        • Work in Russia – Country Profile
        • Work in Spain – Country Profile
        • Work in Sweden – Country Profile
        • Work in Switzerland – Country Profile
        • Work in the United Kingdom – Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Work in Australia – Country profile
        • Work in New Zealand – Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs
    • Need help advertising a job?
    • About jobs.ac.uk

Embracing the Great Resignation

Embracing the Great Resignation

The recent pandemic has made a significant impact on the way people think about their jobs. It has brought about changes to people’s work styles, preferences and priorities.  Those working as managers and recruiters in the Higher Education (HE) sector would probably agree that recruiting and retaining talented employees has become more and more challenging in recent years.

You may have heard the expression ‘The Great Resignation’ before.  It describes a trend of people choosing to resign from their jobs as a result of the pandemic. According to the CIPD, ‘Creating quality work with lots of flexibility will help employers attract, and crucially retain employees.’ In the following article, I have highlighted some guidance on how HE managers and recruiters can provide flexibility and support to employees, and embrace the great resignation.

The 2022 Work Trend Index surveyed 31,000 individuals in 31 countries. Their findings confirm that employees are prioritising their jobs differently. Based on their research, more than 50% of employees give more priority to their physical and emotional well-being after the pandemic. Additionally, 47% of staff members consider family and personal life more important than work. Across a wide range of UK industries, an increasing number of people are considering leaving their jobs. In such turbulent times, HE employers need to develop strategies to recruit highly skilled candidates and retain their best performers. If universities fail to provide flexible arrangements, it could limit their access to the right talent pool. Many HE organisations need to reconsider how they respond to the preferences and priorities of job applicants.

#Flexible working:

Flexible working means a number of different approaches:

Part-time hours, compressed hours (full-time hours worked over less than 5 days), job sharing, flexible hours (different start and finish times), hybrid arrangements (home and office based), fully remote working, etc.

It is essential that managers take into consideration the preferences of their employees. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Flexible arrangements need to align with the employee’s circumstances and personal commitments (e.g. child and older people care). Regular one-to-one meetings and performance reviews can give an excellent opportunity to discuss how staff members find their working arrangements and the way these could be better suited to the individual. Switching to flexible working arrangements should be carefully planned in order to ensure that employees can carry out their work to a high standard. A recently published report by the Department of Education highlights:

‘Senior leaders/line managers can be important role models in creating a work culture that accepts and supports flexible working practices. Therefore, training for line managers may be important in the success of implementing flexible working practices…’

HE leaders and managers should be provided training to help them manage virtually and successfully implement flexible working arrangements. HE managers may also provide flexibility on a less formal basis. If an employee is able to work more productively at home and encounter fewer distractions, they could occasionally work from home on an ad-hoc basis. These could be called ‘admin days’ or ‘project days’.

According to a recent article on flexible working, a large number of HE organisations have a policy in place to guide flexible working arrangements. However, there seems to be different levels of access to flexibility among academic and professional staff. It is essential that managers consider the individual’s context, performance, and their responsibilities prior to making flexible arrangements.

#Supportive work environment:

HE staff members would strongly benefit from receiving a wider range of support as highlighted by Education Support. Based on their recent research study, the work-life balance of HE employees remains poor. Their research indicates that 61% of the participants would not approach their manager for support. Respondents expressed concerns about being stigmatised if asking for well-being help. If individuals are provided with the opportunity to work flexibly, managers need to ensure that people’s workload does not increase further (as this can lead to burnout).

The above study shows that HE employees’ mental well-being is considerably lower than population norms. Six respondents in ten indicated that they regularly work more than 40 hours a week and 21% of participants work more than 50 hours a week. Universities should provide more flexibility in terms of employee support. Departmental leaders and managers need to be able to prioritise staff wellbeing, signpost individuals to support services, and deliver regular one-to-one meetings with staff to maintain positive working relationships.

#Making a genuine difference:

You would probably agree that most people strive to make a positive difference to others. Finding meaning and purpose in our work is important, and we tend to struggle when we do not find the reasoning behind completing a task. Frederick Herzberg, a well-known theorist on the topic of motivation, argued that individuals are motivated by intrinsic needs such as achievement, responsibility and meaningfulness of the work.

It is essential that the job we do aligns with our strengths and skills. We need to feel that we have made some accomplishments on a daily basis and that our work matters. Providing employees with learning and development opportunities is important as these could enable them to make a more positive difference and develop their professional skills.

Catch has worked as a senior manager at a well-known university based in London. She has delivered the same role for over 5 years and started to feel less enthusiastic about her tasks at times.  Cath had an annual appraisal meeting coming up, and decided to share her feelings with her Head of Department. She wanted to take on more responsibilities, manage global projects, and become involved in developing partnerships with external businesses. She wanted to use more of her professional skills. Cath’s line manager was most supportive of her aspirations and started involving her in new projects. A few months later, she successfully applied for a new leadership position within the same university and transitioned into a position managing international partnerships. Although Cath has a heavy load in her new role, she is able to use more of her strengths and make a genuinely positive difference to others every day. She is delighted with her promotion.

When people work flexibly in a supportive environment and they find their job meaningful, they are more likely to stay with their employer. It is vital that universities re-evaluate their strategies in terms of recruiting and retaining talented employees.

Further career change articles:

  • How to Write a Perfect Resignation Letter
  • Taking a Career Break
  • Is it too late for a career change?
  • Considering a Career Change? Your 5 Step Plan for Success

What did you think of our article? - please rate

0 / 5. 0


Share this article

Henrietta Nagy

Henrietta Nagy is a seasoned portfolio worker with over 10 years’ experience in the UK education sector. Henrietta writes educational content, designs academic courses, delivers university lectures, mentors entrepreneurs, and provides career development coaching. One of Henrietta's recent organisational clients is the Oxford University where she has facilitated over 100 hours of learning events. With 9 years of higher education studies internationally (including an MBA), she has worked with CEOs, academics, scholars, managers, women entrepreneurs, academic administrators and other consultants.

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

  • Audience at the conference hall.

    Writing Abstracts for Conferences

  • Supporting Individual Researchers in a Publish-or-Perish Culture

    Supporting Individual Researchers in a Publish-or-Perish Culture

  • Quiet Mornings with a Tea

    How to stay calm for your PhD defence

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 + 19 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Searching for a job in the United Kingdom

Latest Jobs

  • Faculty Position in AI/ML for Biosciences

    Department of Biosciences and Bioinformatics, Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University

    Location: Suzhou

    Salary: Competitive salary in the market


  • Apprentice - Chemical & Environmental Engineering

    Engineering, University of Nottingham

    Location: Nottingham

    Salary: £23,563 - £23,946 per annum, depending on skills and experience.


  • Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)

    Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

    Location: Cambridge

    Salary: £32,546 - £45,413 per annum


  • Senior Scientific Associate, Pre-clinical Genome Editing Facility (12 months Fixed Term)

    Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge

    Location: Cambridge

    Salary: £35,116 - £45,413 per annum


  • Senior Research Fellow

    College of Social Sciences - School of Social Policy and Society, University of Birmingham

    Location: Birmingham

    Salary: £57,422 - £66,537 Grade: 9


  • Housekeeping Assistant

    Trinity Hall , University of Cambridge

    Location: Cambridge

    Salary: £12.77 per hour, plus pension and benefits


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025