Checking in on our professors

All full professors, associate professors and assistant professors at ETH have the same boss: ETH President Joël Mesot. When Mesot took office, it was already one of his priorities to gauge professors' satisfaction levels and find out which areas might require attention. Important answers to these questions are now available. In 2019 the Equal Opportunities Office, the Office for Faculty Affairs and the General Secretariat invited all professors to participate in a survey – the first at ETH to focus solely on their work situation. "The participation rate was very high at over 60 percent," says Renate Schubert, Associate Vice President for Equal Opportunities and ETH Professor of Economics.

Onboarding process seen in positive light

The 40-question survey covered six areas: appointment and promotion processes, decision-making and processes, teamwork and cooperation, work-life balance, working atmosphere, and complaint processes. The appointment and promotion process received high marks, with 80 percent of respondents indicating very high levels of satisfaction. Most respondents also rated the facilities and equipment at ETH very positively and were very satisfied with how they were integrated into the institution.

"We are very happy to see that the majority of professors appreciate ETH's relatively swift appointment processes and the facilities the university has to offer," says Monika Gessler from the Office for Faculty Affairs. "The expansion of the faculty onboarding programme probably also contributed to the positive results. Since 2019 the programme has been helping newly appointed professors get familiar with ETH and Switzerland." While a sizeable minority of professors said they had thought about switching to another institution (45 percent), this was said to be mostly for personal reasons.

Desire for more participation

Responses were very mixed when it came to professors' perceived ability to influence decisions and processes within their departments and on an institutional level. While professors rated their ability to influence decisions in their own departments as good (77 of 100 points), their ability to influence decisions on the institutional level received lower marks (54 points).  However, the assessments sometimes varied markedly between departments. "There's potential here," says Schubert. "Getting professors more strongly involved before decisions are made also increases their identification with ETH. I think strengthening their involvement would benefit both sides."

This finding makes another finding from the survey particularly noteworthy. The question of whether tasks outside of research and teaching – meaning participation in boards, committees and departmental administration – are distributed fairly among professors received relatively low ratings (55 points). "Probably not everyone is equally suited for these kinds of extra tasks. That's why some take on more than others," explains Schubert. "This result also reflects the increasingly globalised nature of academic life. There's not enough time to get involved on behalf of your own institution if it doesn't directly result in a publication." According to Schubert, being able to identify with your institution is a prerequisite for getting involved. "I think we should generally reflect on how we can increase the feeling of community at ETH," she says. Schubert thinks one important factor is showing appreciation for all professors, particularly those who are very young as well as those who are about to retire or who have recently done so.

High marks for teamwork and cooperation

Professors rated teamwork and cooperation with ETH students and employees highly, ranging from good to very good (90 points on average).  The working relationship with central administrative functions received a somewhat lower rating but one that was still rather positive.

Although professors are known to have high workloads, the survey showed that they are generally able to achieve a good work-life balance. However, they would appreciate more support from ETH when it comes to balancing their research and teaching duties with their personal lives. One aspect of improving the work-life balance involves offering extrafamilial childcare. According to Schubert, ETH has expanded their childcare programmes significantly over the past several years, particularly regarding day care capacity. Other developments included establishing flexible childcare at ETH and short-notice caregiver placement for unforeseen situations and emergencies.

Differing views of working atmosphere

Male and female professors had very different responses to questions about the working atmosphere. The vast majority of male professors gave very positive responses, while female professors feel less respected and supported in their roles. "Here we see well-known differences and stereotypes about male and female roles rearing their heads," remarks Schubert. "However, I'm also noticing a shift in attitude. For most people in the younger generation, regardless of their sex, equal opportunity is now a common concept."

There were also clear differences between the answers of women and men when it came to assessing the handling of complaints. Around 23 percent of female professors indicated that they had felt discriminated against within the previous two years. For male professors, this figure was much lower at five percent. Trust in the complaint management process also revealed highly gendered results, with women giving much lower ratings (42 points) than men (61 points). "These findings, particularly with regard to the experience of discrimination, should be examined more closely," says Schubert. "The public discussion over the past few years about cases of inappropriate behaviour at ETH surely played a role here. It should give us pause that there are professors at our institution who feel discriminated against. It's ultimately a question of culture and something that we urgently need to work on. I also suspect that victims of discrimination have not felt encouraged enough to report their negative experiences."

Ombudspersons and advice centres to build trust

The Executive Board recognised the need to take action on this issue a while ago. Lukas Vonesch, Head of Human Resources at ETH, explains: "An external advice centre regarding respectful behaviour was established in November 2019, and also in May 2020 an external ombudsperson with a legal background and experience in mediation started working for us. These steps will certainly help build more trust in how complaints are handled at ETH." According to Vonesch, relevant regulations have been drawn up and are currently being discussed and improved in dialogue with the University Assembly and the university groups.

Confirmation of the Executive Board's roadmap

"I am glad that professors at ETH are generally satisfied with their work situation," says ETH President Joël Mesot. "They are the engine that drives our university forward, and creating a work environment that lets them develop their potential is one of my chief priorities. For me the survey is also an important confirmation of the path that the Executive Board has already started treading with rETHink, our ongoing organisational development project. Building appreciation and trust will play a central role in this process."