Lack of clear Covid-19 guidance risks losing postdoctoral talent, experts warn
The Swedish government and higher education authorities must provide clearer policies to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on postdoctoral students, according to the Swedish Network of Postdoc Associations (SNPA).
Representatives of the SNPA warned that Sweden could lose research talent due to a lack of guidance and rules on how to deal with the Covid-19 fallout. Common problems identified by survey respondents include the overcrowding of research spaces due to changed work schedules and disagreements between postdoctoral researchers and line managers about the health risks associated with being on campus during the pandemic.
“Broad, sweeping policies would have helped solve these variations and given researchers stability and predictability,” says Mathew Tata, who co-authored a report on the issue last year.
Instead of providing clear rules, Tata said, universities took their lead from FOHM, Sweden’s public health agency, which left it to research groups and departments to set their own working schedules.
One of the fundamental problems first identified in the SNPA report is that many postdoctoral researchers struggle to physically work from home, as they need access to laboratory space and equipment.
“For example, I am a biomedical researcher, who performs experiments in person on a daily basis,” he told Research Professional News. “I can’t do them on a computer, sitting at my dining table.”
According to Tata, asking researchers to work at home or to scale down their working schedule is not appropriate if time or costed extensions are not provided as compensation. The report pointed out that productivity is one of the main criteria according to which post-doctoral candidates are evaluated.
“Without assurances on these issues, many researchers would risk catching Covid-19 if it meant they could continue their work and remain employable,” Tata said.
However, most postdoctoral researchers questioned for the report said that their supervisors had supported them in changing their working patterns during the pandemic.
The report recommends that research institutions and funders should extend contracts and provide for time lost due to the pandemic in their evaluations. Tata added that provisions should also be made for international postdoctoral students, as they may be on time-limited work permits that could run out without contract extensions.
“It would be better to commit an extra 10 per cent of funding this year for these extensions, than to instead lose much more value if these projects cannot be completed,” Tata said. “This will also show a commitment to the human capital that constitutes Swedish research and innovation.”
According to Katharina Herzog, a postdoctoral researcher at the Karolina Institute medical facility, universities could offer researchers more practical support. She told Research Professional News that most universities offered guidelines when it came to home working, but that these were vague and failed to provide concrete recommendations or advice.
“There should be support for occupational health measures, such as ergonomic advice on, for example, chairs and other office supplies that can be taken home or purchased,” Herzog said.
Herzog added that universities should also offer more support for researchers’ mental health. The SNPA report, which surveyed 429 postdocs, found that Swedish institutions scored an average of 3.4 out of 5 when it came to staff feeling safe and well cared for at their workplace.
“[Universities] should offer free phone consultations for their staff to talk to professionals about their problems,” Herzog said.