TU/e does not have sufficient insight into the causes of workload and, partly as a result, cannot take targeted measures, the Labor Inspectorate states. In the area of inappropriate behavior, the university does not have a complete picture of the risk factors, according to the inspectorate. The findings stem from a visit last spring that specifically focused on these topics.

The fact that workload is a risk within the university was also shown earlier by the Employee Experience Survey (EES). The survey shows how much workload employees experience, the inspectorate states, but it does not provide sufficient insight into its causes. According to the agency, the dialogue sessions that followed the EES last year also did not explore this deeply enough.

Not fully mapped out

To reduce workload, the university is taking various measures, including meeting-free weeks, various training programs, and the Smarter Academic Year pilot. However, according to the inspectorate, the university is not sufficiently assessing whether these measures are effective. The precise sources of the workload have also not been fully identified, meaning that the current measures may not be sufficient, the letter states.

The same applies to inappropriate behavior. TU/e knows that leadership styles within the university pose a risk of inappropriate behavior and has taken action on this, but the inspectorate also sees that there are still major differences between supervisors in practice.

“While one person actively works to prevent psychosocial strain and address incidents, another leaves these matters unattended,” the letter states. “Whether teams can function effectively and whether behavioral rules are enforced still depends too heavily on the involvement and sensitivity of the individual supervisor.”

New initiatives

Because the new leadership program – like the new code of conduct, the expansion of the team of confidential advisers, and the OpenUp platform – has only recently been introduced, its effectiveness cannot yet be assessed. The inspectorate cites the neurodivergent population as an example, as relatively many people in this group reportedly drop out or leave the university.

In a written response to Cursor, the Executive Board (CvB) acknowledges that there are areas for improvement and sees the letter as a “welcome encouragement” to keep pushing forward on the issue. “We are currently working to further integrate the identified areas for improvement into our plans. We will place additional focus on strengthening the risk assessment and review cycle, improving the evaluation and measurement of the effectiveness of measures, and harmonizing our approach to workload and social safety across the university,” the spokesperson said.

Positive signal

The Executive Board is pleased that the Labor Inspectorate considers the plans and steps already taken to be valuable, the spokesperson says. He calls it a very positive signal that, during an oral explanation, the Labor Inspectorate indicated that TU/e employees are experiencing more room for dialogue.

The inspectorate's visit is part of a process that has been ongoing for some time. In 2020, the inspectorate asked all universities to draw up an action plan to manage “psychosocial occupational strain.” In 2023, a visit followed to assess whether the universities had implemented improvements and what effect they had.

Addressing violations

At that time, TU/e also had insufficient insight, according to the Labor Inspectorate, into the causes of workload and inappropriate behavior and the effectiveness of measures to address them. In the letter, the inspectorate now sets a deadline for each warning by which the violations must be resolved. For the assessment of workload and inappropriate behavior, the deadline is nine months; for their evaluation, it is eighteen months.

After that deadline, the inspectorate may conduct another inspection of the areas in which the university was found to be in violation. If those issues have not been resolved by then, the inspectorate may issue a report recommending a fine.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.