Read CAUT Pres. @basmith's post @eduint's World of Education blog: The impact of the pandemic on academic workers and work: the #Cdnpse experience. "Almost overnight last March, academic staff at unis/colleges heeded the call to stay home/isolate." 1/9 https://www.worldsofeducation.org/en/woe_homepage/woe_detail/17085/%E2%80%9Cthe-impact-of-the-pandemic-on-academic-workers-and-work-the-canadian-experience%E2%80%9D-by-brenda-austin-smith#.X9zArXYbeeQ.twitter

Myriad workplace issues arose, questions poured in: How do I teach my applied, hands on, collaborative or lab classes? How do I assess my students in an on-line environment? Can I renegotiate the terms of my research grant? Must I euthanize lab animals? 2/9

One of the biggest of the big picture questions looming centred around facilitating a safe return to campuses — whenever that was to occur — and the short, medium and long-term impacts of the pandemic on post-secondary education (PSE) and the working lives of academic staff. 3/9

To better understand how the pandemic was impacting academic staff + the academic job, we surveyed our members. As an outspoken defender of academic freedom/workers’ rights, CAUT’s goal was to get a snapshot of the impact of COVID on workload/teaching/research/mental health. 4/9

Over 4,300 academic staff from all 10 provinces in Canada participated. As with any crowdsourced data, the findings cannot be applied to the overall post-secondary staff population across the country. But the results offer valuable insights on the experiences of participants. 5/9

Unsurprisingly, what we learned was both illuminating, yet not unexpected: Top concerns include challenges of remote teaching, workload, health and safety and job security. In response, CAUT has developed recommendations for PSE institutions and governments...6/9

We ask institutional administrators to work closely with academic staff associations, other campus unions, and Joint Health and Safety Committees on a comprehensive workplace safety plan until the risks from exposure to COVID-19 are contained...7/9

Also to provide paid sick leave measures and extended health benefits for all contract academic staff; improve mental health benefits for all staff. In particular contract academic staff should be properly compensated for additional preparation or instructional time...8/9

Those with disabilities/dependent care responsibilities shld be accommodated; academic freedom/collegial governance protected. In these difficult times, let us come together + find ways to survive this moment/set in motion changes we want to see in post-pandemic institutions. 9/9