| dc.description.abstract | Research has shown that PhD students and other (young) researchers are more at risk for
health problems than their highly educated peers. This seems to be the result of the culture
within academia. Elements of this culture are a high workload and a quantitative focus on
scientific output, which leads to stress and, therefore, a decrease in the well-being of the
researcher. As employers, research institutes might be able to alleviate this stress. This thesis
explores the moral responsibilities research institutes have towards the well-being of their
academic staff.
Our research showed that being employed plays a substantial role in the well-being of a
person, both positively and negatively. Research institutes have the opportunity to contribute
to the well-being of their employees by eliminating the negative influences work can bring.
Organisations are moral agents who have a moral responsibility towards promoting the wellbeing of their employees. Research institutes, specifically, have the moral responsibility to
tackle problems like publication pressure, because these originate in the research institute or
because of the academic climate. They cannot transfer this responsibility to other institutions.
Organisations are crucial to human capabilities and functionings, as their policies influence
human agency. To maximize the capability of the organisation to take care of the well-being
of their employees, research institutes should anchor support for their employees’
functionings and capabilities in corporate policy. Research institutes, thus, have the moral
responsibility to use the capability of the organisation to support their academic staff in
pursuing individual sets of capabilities, thereby enhancing individual well-being.
Despite recent developments regarding the topics of publication pressure and the
quantitative focus on scientific output, research institutes have not yet successfully alleviated
the factor of stress. This is most likely the result of the mentality in academia. We listed advice
for corporate policy, which should be used to ensure a higher level of well-being of academic
staff within research institutes. | |
