UCU is the largest trade union and professional association for academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers, and academic-related staff working in further and higher education throughout the UK.

Join the UCU today
Email: ucu@st-andrews.ac.uk

Unite is the largest manufacturing union in the United Kingdom, with over 1.4 million members in the public and private sectors.

For local information contact unitemail@st-andrews.ac.uk

Unison is a UK union representing full- and part- time staff who provide public services in the public and private sectors.

For local information contact unisonmail@st-andrews.ac.uk

Education Support is a UK charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of education staff in schools, colleges and universities. 

Their helpline is free and confidential, available to all serving and retired teachers, lecturers and staff in education (primary, secondary, further or higher education) in England, Wales and Scotland 24/7, 365 days a year.

Call: 08000 562 561
Or text: 07909 341229 (answered within 24 hours)

Burnout is characterised by feelings of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that can be caused by excessive and prolonged stress. To learn about burnout and how to avoid it, visit NHS’ Working Well website resources.

TED, an American conference platform, has organised a playlist of talks for when you feel totally burned out.

Imposter syndrome is a way of thinking that often manifests as feelings of self-doubt and incompetence that hinders one in accepting their achievements and position in life. People who experience imposter syndrome may feel as if they are a fraud, and that they do not belong in the environment they are in.

The University of Edinburgh has a guide on imposter syndrome and how to manage it.

Perfectionism is a mindset that demands excessively high standards from either oneself or from others. Many academics have perfectionist tendencies and beliefs, and studies have shown that perfectionism can lower productivity among researchers and professors.

To learn more about perfectionism and how to manage it, visit this page from Moodcafe, a website managed by NHS Fife.

The Centre for Clinical Interventions also has a free self-help module on perfectionism and how to reduce perfectionist behaviours.

Academic procrastination can be an issue faced by university teachers and faculty. Examples of procrastination can be unnecessarily delaying the completion of small tasks or putting off writing or submitting a thesis or research proposal.

To learn more about academic procrastination and how to handle it, visit the Solving Procrastination website created by Itamar Shatz, a PhD candidate at Cambridge University.

The Centre for Clinical Interventions has a free self-help module on overcoming problematic procrastination.

Smart Working is “an approach to organising work that aims to drive greater efficiency and effectiveness, enhancing personal and organisational outcomes through a combination of flexibility, autonomy and collaboration, utilising a range of practices, technologies and working environments.”

In other words, smart working is about working in the right place, using the right at the right time, depending on the type of work you are doing - which may change during a working day or week. It’s also about approaches that facilitate collaboration, use new technology, and which place more emphasis on results than on simply being present.

We want to create a workplace that gives you the workspaces and tools to do what you do in the most effective way it can be done.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a UK association for human resource management professionals, has free support and resource materials for line managers.

Supporting students

An unhealthy work-life balance can occur when one’s work and work-related stress interferes with one’s personal time. To learn more about unhealthy work-life balances, how to help yourself and how your workplace can help, please visit the Mental Health Foundation’s resources on work-life balance.

Take Education Support’s work-life balance assessment tool.

Access to Work is a Government Scheme that supports people with physical and mental health conditions and disabilities gain and remain in employment.

Access to Work provide support to people based on their individual needs. Through the Access to Work Scheme, you can apply for a grant to get pay for:

• a BSL interpreter, lip speakers, or note takers to support you in work
• adaptations to your vehicle to support your travel to work
• taxi fares, or a support worker, if unable to commute on public transit
• a support worker, or job coach, for workplace support

You can check your eligibility, and then apply for an Access to Work Grant.

Access to Work provide mental health support services to help people working and living with mental health difficulties, and to employers. Available support includes:

• a tailored, nine-month, mental health support plan
• a series of confidential appointments with a mental health professional

Access to Work’s mental health support service is provided by Able Futures. You can apply for support through their online self-referral form, or freephone on 0800 321 3137.