Employee participation: HBO graduates more often satisfied than university graduates
One in three employee representatives is satisfied with their influence on the course of events at their institution or study programme. But members of higher education are slightly more positive than in academic education. For example about the compensation.
Picture: Type tank
This is apparent from the biennial employee participation monitor by research agency Oberon, commissioned by the Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg. Nearly 1.800 students and employees from committees and councils gave their opinion.
Students and employees discuss all kinds of issues in employee participation bodies, such as the corona measures, investments in real estate, the content of courses and the spending of education money.
De AOb provides training to mrs and works councils to understand policy documents or to make full use of the participation.
Go to AOb Participation for more information
'satisfied'
In the monitor, it is noticeable that higher professional education often scores slightly better. At the universities of applied sciences, for example, 72 percent is 'satisfied' with the functioning of the board in relation to employee participation, at the universities it is 70 percent.
In the monitor, it is noticeable that higher professional education often scores slightly better
At the universities of applied sciences, the members of the participation council are also somewhat more positive about the facilities that are available to them. This concerns, for example, legal support, training and the possibility to consult experts.
The only exception is the support for non-Dutch members of the participation council, who, for example, need translated documents. That support is better arranged at the universities. There are a lot more foreign students and lecturers in academic education.
It is striking that the members attend training less often than before. Slightly less than half of the employee participation representatives surveyed have completed a course or training course in the past year. In WO it went from 56 to 48 percent and in HBO from 50 to 47 percent. This may be due to corona perils, but also because many of them do not know that they can apply for training.
It is striking that the mr members attend training less often than before
“I think it's a case of 'unknown makes unloved'”, says ISO chair Lisanne de Roos. “You only know how necessary support is when you can reap the benefits.”
Influence
And do the members get anything done? That sometimes fails. For example, since 2017, members of the central participation council have been given the right of consent on the main lines of the budget. Much was expected of this, and a lot was fought for in politics. It was part of the disappearance of the basic grant: students received less money, but more influence. After all, if the members want, they can put their heels in the sand. Yet only 45 percent, in both HBO and WO, believe that they have sufficient influence on this.
Or take the progress of tests and exams during corona. Less than 30 percent of both universities of applied sciences and universities feel that the councils were able to adjust the decision-making process enough. Also, less than half (50 percent in HBO and 44 percent in WO) believe that they could think along enough about the safety and well-being of students and staff during corona.
The ISO is disappointed. “Employees are positive about the consultation culture”, says chairman De Roos, “but apparently they still experience a threshold to discuss those specific corona measures. That worries me. Such an important topic should not be left untouched.”
De AOb provides training to mrs and works councils to understand policy documents or to make full use of the participation. Go to AOb Participation for more information
