The item that has gotten a lot of attention from members is the employer’s proposed removal of Research & Study Leave (RSL) for professional staff. While we know that not all professional staff are able to take this leave (for many reasons including lack of staffing to cover for their leave, a workload that is too heavy, and that it wouldn’t be approved by their manager), the minor payout that AU has offered is not a fair compensation for this benefit.
In a recent survey of professional staff (with 140 respondents and just under 200 professional members of AUFA):
65.9% of respondents said that RSL was important to them
66.67% said that it was likely that they would take professional RSL in the future
19.9% thought it was acceptable to trade RSL for a one-time flat payout of around $10,000 (which is the current offer)
As many members have pointed out, the push to remove this benefit from professional members relies on the assumption that AU professional members are not important members of our research community and that their continuing studies are not important to the work they do for the university.
Here are testimonials from members about why RSL leave is important for them:
Testimonial 1:
I left a PhD program to work for AU, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to return to some of my graduate research once I accumulated enough Research and Study Leave (RSL). Following that first RSL in 2012, I published three articles in top-tier peer-reviewed ecology and entomology journals. In my most recent RSL, in 2018, I edited websites, tested and edited educational board games, and edited books of poetry, a fiction novel, and an academic monograph. Diversifying and broadening my experience has made me a better editor and has been hugely valuable to my work in FHSS, with its wide range of courses and styles—from statistics to creative writing, from psychology to political science.
Professional Development leave is certainly very useful for attending a webinar or a three-day conference. Even if I took all of my PD time at once, however, I could not write research articles or edit a manuscript. RSL provides me with something PD or an extra 9% compensation would not: time. The time to pursue education or research or service not only improves the work that I do for AU, it also reinforces the university’s credibility as an employer and as a provider of high-quality educational materials.
Testimonial 2:
As a senior software developer with over 15 years of experience, I took a significant pay cut to come work at AU two and a half years ago. With the ever-increasing costs of everything while trying to raise a young family, taking this pay cut has not been easy. However, I wanted to come work here because I would be able to pursue graduate studies and I would be allowed to take R&S leave to complete my research. I am currently enrolled in the MScIS program and the intended focus of my research will be around learning analytics and the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in learning management systems.
AU's proposals to eliminate R&S leave for professionals are incredibly shortsighted for several reasons. First, the outcomes of my research are likely to be beneficial to AU as they will be focused on using emerging technologies in distance education. This research is directly applicable to my day-to-day work and will provide me with a foundation that will allow me to identify innovations and efficiencies to improve our services.
Likewise, by being able to take R&S leave, I will be able to research my chosen topics in-depth and focus on delivering meaningful and novel findings, rather than just trying to complete my thesis so I can be done with it. As I am sure that many academics would agree, meaningful research requires time, effort, dedication, and perseverance. R&S leave allows professionals to focus solely on their studies rather than having to balance them against many other priorities.
Furthermore, R&S leave for professionals is a significant competitive advantage for AU when it comes to hiring new IT staff. Every other institution can offer you more money, but few other companies have the framework and the capabilities to offer you something like R&S leave. There is a significant shortage of IT professionals in every field right now. If anything, AU should be looking to boost R&S benefits to use them to hire talented, skilled, and hardworking individuals who are passionate about their career.
Finally, professional R&S leave is a benefit that is likely to cause strong debate. It is not a coincidence that AU is using it to create division amongst AUFA union members. For those that are reluctant to support this benefit because they do not understand its value or do not believe that professionals should have it, I urge you to think about what AU will try to eliminate in the next round of bargaining and who will be willing to stand with you in solidarity.