UCU: Congress notes with concern the introduction of 'Wellbeing' policies

Motion

Motion title: Congress notes with concern the introduction of 'Wellbeing' policies

Motion text: Congress notes with concern the introduction, encouraged by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), of 'Wellbeing' policies. These policies may appear attractive, but usually contain 'Absence Monitoring' measures to facilitate the bullying back to work of ill colleagues or their dismissal. Such policies typically place the onus for stress management onto individuals, rather than recognising that excessive workloads are the primary cause of workplace stress, and advance measures which trespass into employees' private lives.
Congress instructs the NEC to ensure that employers acknowledge that the primary sources of workplace stress are excessive workloads and poor conditions, and to support branches in:
resisting the introduction of such policies containing elements detrimental to our members' interests;
securing improvements to such policies so that our members are not discouraged from taking necessary sick-leave, bullied back to work, dismissed, or forced to resign;
limiting incursions into our members' private lives.