LETTERS: As universities around the world began to reopen after closures and disruptions due to Covid-19, the global academic community is bracing for another challenge — a tsunami of resignations.
Globally, academics and scientists, even those with permanent positions, have resigned and left their academic and scientific jobs in universities.
It was reported in the Careers Survey 2021 conducted by the reputable scientific journal, Nature, with responses from more than 3,200 respondents worldwide, that most respondents love what they do, yet job satisfaction recorded a new low.
Uncertainty about the future, stagnating salary, discrimination, burnout and frustration with bureaucracy and administration were among the key reasons that pushed academics and scientists to walk away from what they love to do.
Interestingly, the most unhappy lot has been the mid-careers, which expectedly stemmed from the fact that they have progressed far enough to experience the rapid changes in the academic community, developed a certain level of seniority, but continue to be frustrated with bleak feelings of the journey ahead.
Thus, it shapes a "mid-career malcontent" and pushes them to rethink their career path.
Should Malaysian universities be also prepared to brace for a wave of resignations?
There are certainly red flags and warning signs, based on a global survey of the academic profession conducted in 2019, where Malaysia was one of the 22 higher education systems surveyed.
From a total of 4,266 respondents in Malaysia, the average hours an academic spent on their work were found to be startlingly high.
Senior academics spent 53 hours in a week, and their junior colleagues spent 49 hours.
The overwork situation was found to be more acute in public universities than in private institutions, where the average hours were 51 hours and 41 hours (for professors and associate professors and lecturers), respectively.
Clearly, most academics and scientists, especially in public universities, have been overworked and do not have much work-life balance.
If those in leadership and management continue to provide lip services and no genuine initiatives are taken urgently to address these situations of overworked and unrealistic work expectations, a tsunami of resignations will surely hit Malaysian universities.
DR WAN CHANG DA
Life member, Malaysian Society for Research and Higher Education Policy Development (PenDaPaT)
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times