The Faculty is moving forward: Summary of the HR Award employee survey results

The latest employee survey follows up on the 2020 survey conducted in connection with the HR Excellence in Research Award application. The results show a general positive shift in key areas.

The survey was conducted in November 2025 and included all research staff and doctoral students of the faculty. A total of 133 out of 199 invited participants completed the questionnaire, achieving a response rate of 66.8%. We thank everyone who participated!

Positively rated working conditions
Working conditions have long been one of the faculty’s strong points. Employees especially appreciate the balance between work and personal life, adequate salaries, access to teaching-related training, and an overall stimulating work environment.

Compared to 2020, improvements were noted in recognizing teaching load in remuneration and supporting early-career academics. The proportion of employees perceiving excessive teaching load has also significantly decreased.

Transparent recruitment and greater support for development
The recruitment and selection process has long been seen as open and transparent. Positive developments were particularly observed in the adequacy of requirements in selection procedures and the relevance of selection criteria.

Support for further education and career development has also significantly improved. Employees are generally well-informed about evaluation systems and receive feedback, although there is still room for better communication, especially for new and junior staff.

Better access to information, but room for improvement
In terms of professional approach, access to information needed to handle work situations has improved. Nevertheless, some employees—particularly those in mid- and senior academic positions—still perceive certain gaps.

There are also opportunities to improve awareness of complaint and appeal procedures, as more than one-third of respondents do not know whom to contact.

Significant improvement in research ethics
Freedom and ethics in research are rated very positively. Most employees have the opportunity to choose research topics according to their expertise.

A substantial improvement has been observed in ethics: while nearly half of respondents reported negative experiences in 2020, this has decreased to about one-sixth in the current survey.

Equal treatment as a standard
Perceptions of equal opportunities for men and women have significantly improved. The proportion of women perceiving inequalities has halved since 2020, and perceptions of unequal working conditions have similarly declined.

Results indicate that discrimination is not a major issue at the faculty. The vast majority of employees have not encountered discriminatory behaviour and consider the university’s prevention measures sufficient.

Suggestions for further development
Open-ended responses indicate that the quality of the work environment varies across departments. Employees particularly highlight the need for clearer communication, more transparent processes (e.g., in evaluation and remuneration), and greater trust in corrective mechanisms. Suggestions also include interpersonal relationships, publication practices, and access to information (especially for international staff).

At the same time, positive experiences from individual departments can serve as inspiration for further development.

Next steps
The results confirm the faculty’s positive progress while helping identify areas for further improvement. These priorities will be reflected in the upcoming HR Award Action Plan for 2026–2029.

Where to find more information
Detailed results of the survey are available in the final report.