Female senior lecturer in social sciences at a post-1992 university, UK

It has been ongoing since the summer when a new woman took up the role as my head of division. Almost immediately, she turned her attention to me. She sent me a lot of emails and arranged meetings during the times that I taught, which meant that I couldn’t attend.



In August I was asked to cover a module on a difference course. As I work part time, I said that I was happy to do this, but would need extra payment as it would take me over my hours. No-one got back to me; I wasn’t given a contract to sign and no-one approved the teaching hours. I kept chasing, but got no response, so I didn’t teach the module. I got called in to a meeting, and was threatened with disciplinary. At that point I thought this woman doesn’t like me and is determined to get me out or discipline me in some way.

She called me in a week later. She didn’t let me speak and went through all the issues that she thought were a problem. When I tried to present my side of the argument, she simply said: “I don’t want to discuss this anymore. If I call you in again, it will be a different meeting, do you understand me?” I was really shaken up, but straight away had to go and teach for three hours.

The only way I could manage the situation was to be off sick. I’ve been off for two months and just handed in my notice. The university has already terminated my email address, despite the fact my contract has not come to an end.

I didn’t seek support because I didn’t feel like I had the confidence or strength to do it. You have to be prepared for it to be a fight.

I now don’t want to go out. I’m on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication and only go out with the dog at 6.30am. I’m up at 5.30am because I can’t sleep. I’m really anxious and no longer feel very confident in my knowledge and experience.



I was a career-changer and this was my first job in academia. I didn’t get an induction and was expected to be psychic about how academia works. I would have benefited from having a mentor, but was told there was a waiting list.

Female assistant professor working in a private university in the US

After working in minor visiting positions and fellowships, I got a tenure-line position at a not-so-stellar private university. Two years into the position, my life started to be made difficult.

From ridiculing my accent to interfering with the management of my own grants; taking away courses in which I had put a lot of effort to prepare to belittling and unfounded negative comments on my work and teaching; scheduling meetings to times I could not attend, to telling me to not participate in departmental life – I saw it all. But as I was told several times by colleagues outside my department, I was junior and had no power.

I followed the expected line of complaints: the ombudsman, HR, the dean of my division. All discouraged me to pursue my complaints or told me that there was nothing they could do. A HR staff member went as far as telling me he would not do anything because the person I had issues with (the head of my department) was very powerful within the university structure and could make his life difficult too.

When I approached the dean of my division and described to her some of the situations, she told me blatantly “I don’t care! Just go home and write.” I was clinically depressed and many days could not even get up to fix my dinner.

Despite depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, my health maintenance organisation considered that physically I was fit to teach and carry on with my duties. And like a zombie, I did. Of course in the last year my classes suffered.

More than six months before I was to submit my tenure portfolio for review, the chair of my department promised my job to someone else “because I would not get tenure”.

I am not getting any university support. The bullying, the abuse of power and the lack of protection from my university are driving me out of what I like. The advice I get is: don’t do anything, just look for another job.

Male senior lecturer at post-1992 university, UK

My working relationship with the head of department was professional, even cordial at first, as we regularly had a social drink together. But things deteriorated following my first annual appraisal. He criticised me for things that had happened months ago and brought up minor issues that had already been dealt with.

He started arranging meetings for 10am on Monday mornings to discuss my attendance. He cancelled my summer leave (five weeks) which had been approved and didn’t tell me. I had a paper accepted for a conference but he “sat” on my application for funding for five weeks, and then refused it. This was unique at my university.

I went sick with stress after he changed my teaching hours. HR did nothing about my informal complaints so I made an official complaint of bullying.

The inquiry was laughable in its quality – it was actually me who was investigated. It was a complete whitewash, even with regards to the cancellation of my annual leave, which was a blatant breach of the regulations.

In short I was bullied by being called into meetings for nothing, my academic ability was belittled, development opportunities denied and my teaching changed. My request for help to HR was ignored and my complaints rubbished. My contract was terminated for ill health reasons because I refused to return into the environment which was damaging my health.

If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this piece, contact Samaritans or the National Bullying Helpline.

More like this:

• Culture of cruelty: why bullying thrives in higher education

• ‘Professors are supposed to be stressed! That’s the job’

• Bullying in universities: what are your legal rights?

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