Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
University staff are happy but bullying remains a concern
A Canterbury Christ Church University staff survey has shown the majority of its employees think it is a friendly place to work – despite concerns remaining over perceived bullying.
A study undertaken by research group Capita reveals nine out of 10 staff are content, with 85% saying they would recommend working there.
But it also concludes that while perceptions of harassment have been reduced in recent times, staff have continued to raise it as an issue.
The university says early analysis shows the perception of bullying has halved since a survey it carried out in 2011.
A further study in 2013, conducted by the University and College Union (UCU), found 19.2% of Christ Church respondents said they were “always or often” subject to bullying in the workplace.
University spokesman Holly Finch says the university is keen to understand and respond to issues which are important to staff, with its annual survey helping to identify levels of sat-
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“The university is committed to maintaining a working environment in which everyone is treated with dignity and where unacceptable behaviour is dealt with quickly and fairly. The results of this year’s sur- vey are, on the whole, very positive. We experienced our best response rate at 77% – one of the best results in the higher education sector, according to Capita – with 85% of staff recommending the university as a good place to work and 90% saying it is also a friendly place to work.
“In fact, we have seen improvements in most areas of the survey, including a decrease in the perception of bullying. However it’s really important that we understand the reasons for these perceptions, which are likely to be varied, and respond appropriately.” She added that the results would be examined over the next few months.