I have represented temporary academic staff on the university board for the past year. Through my role on the board – and with ten years of experience as a temporary employee at UiO – I am well acquainted with the university's central organisation and decision-making processes, and at the same time I have extensive insight into the conditions of temporary staff. Now I am asking for renewed trust to continue the work of representing our employee group in a year that is likely to be marked by economic uncertainty and changes. As a representative for our group, I am particularly focused on 1) the working conditions for temporary staff and 2) the opportunities we have to qualify for a further career in academia.
Good working conditions and qualification opportunities
The temporary nature of our positions sets us apart from the rest of the staff at the university in several significant ways.
Good planning tools
Firstly, our temporary employment affects our ability to plan for the long term. For example, we do not have the same opportunities as permanent staff to develop teaching over time, nor can we benefit from the "long-term" advantages of a fully developed teaching programme. Temporary staff often spend an disproportionately large amount of time on teaching preparation, to the detriment of other qualifying activities. The unpredictability and extent of our tasks make it challenging to create sustainable working days. Therefore, we need good planning tools that provide predictability and opportunities for development.
Career plans that commit
Secondly, we rely on qualifying ourselves during our limited employment periods. The relationship between the employer and temporary staff at the University of Oslo is somewhat symbiotic, where the employer draws on very high academic expertise without offering a permanent position, while the employee, in turn, gains qualifications for further career progression. The higher education act grants postdoctoral researchers and doctoral candidates the right to a career plan, and these plans are also part of UiO's standards for career support. However, plans hold little value if they are not realised. Therefore, we need good routines for following up on these plans and clear commitments from the employer to provide opportunities to fulfill them.
Routines and frameworks instead of being dependent on colleagues
Thirdly, we are vulnerable to exploitation because we work with colleagues who may hold significant power in the next recruitment process. Many of us have good and supportive colleagues at the university. However, as our colleagues may hold the key to permanent employment in the future—on assessment committees, in leadership roles, or in hiring bodies—it can feel risky for temporary staff to regulate their workload or to raise issues if problems arise. Therefore, we need clear frameworks and routines to ensure that our working conditions and career development are safeguarded without having to negotiate with our colleagues and leaders.
Temporary staff in an establishment phase
Fourthly, many of us are in a transformative establishment phase of our lives—some because they are starting families, others because they are moving to Norway for a temporary position. The exceptions granted by the Working Environment Act due to our "particularly independent position" (cf. § 10-12, second paragraph) can initially work well in combination with family life and new establishments. However, this freedom in work organisation also makes us vulnerable to expectations of availability and work outside normal working hours, which may not be compatible with family obligations or establishing oneself as an international newcomer. Therefore, we need arrangements to ensure that employees with family commitments and establishment challenges do not miss out on qualification opportunities compared to other staff members.
Economic uncertainty and political instability are affecting the university sector. The temporary nature of our positions makes us a particularly vulnerable group when changes become necessary. At the same time, we are the ones representing the future of academia—and we need solid conditions to qualify for fulfilling this role. The university board is responsible for the university’s academic development, including the development of future academics. Therefore, the representative for temporary staff on the university board plays a key role in promoting our perspectives and interests. As this representative, I believe that clear guidelines for the working conditions and career development of temporary staff—as well as robust routines for follow-up—are crucial for improving the working lives of temporary staff now and are essential for ensuring the academic development of UiO in the long term.
About me
I have been employed at UiO as a doctoral research fellow, researcher, and postdoctoral fellow for nearly ten years. My long tenure has given me personal experience with many of the challenges that temporary staff face in their daily work and career development. With two children, I also have firsthand experience of the difficulties involved in balancing career development with family responsibilities.
In addition to my current role on the university board, I am a member of the Young Academy of Norway, a platform for research policy advocacy and communication. I am also in my third term as a representative for temporary staff on the department board at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography. Previously, I have served as an deputy representative for the PhD programme council at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
I am familiar with the working conditions of temporary staff across various units and fields. Not only have I gained insight from the highest levels of governance as a board member; as a representative, I have heard many—and very different—stories and experiences from doctoral research fellows and postdoctoral fellows. These encounters are a major part of my motivation to stand for re-election.
Nominators
- Anette Marie Andresen, SV
- Fr?ja Storm-Mathisen, SV