Third of Glasgow School of Art staff ‘unduly stressed’, figures show

One in three staff at the fire-hit Glasgow School of Art feel “unduly stressed” at work.

A further one in eight feel harassed or bullied, according to a leaked report.

The figures have been released following an exodus of 70 staff from the school since a second devastating fire at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building last year.

Forty resigned and another 30 were made redundant. The school’s director and finance director have also quit and its deputy director has left for another post.

The figures have been released following an exodus of 70 staff from the school since the fire devastated the building for the second time.

An existing senior member of staff said: “The relationship between senior management and the staff has been toxic on all levels for a long time.

“With one in eight staff members suffering harassment and bullying, it is understandable that half would not recommend it as a workplace.

"The most pointed of the results is that only one in four staff members, including managers, believe that communication or performance by the management is adequate.”

A former senior member of staff added: “There are many professional and talented staff at the art school who remain passionate about their work.

“In my opinion, GSA needs a new management team who recognise this and support the team so that they can get on with their work.”

The survey was carried out for the art school by human resources consultants Capita, who have produced figures for 35 universities.

It showed 75 per cent of staff felt “taking everything into account” GSA was a good place to work, below the benchmark for higher education institutions of 89 per cent.

However, 49 per cent of staff often think about quitting the art school, compared with a benchmark of 36 per cent.

It also found 36 per cent of staff were “unduly stressed” at work and 12 per cent felt harassed or bullied. About 95 per cent of staff felt more could be done to help employees prepare for and cope with change.

Christine Pratt, founder of the National Bullying Helpline, said the figures suggested a “culture of fear and divide”.

Glasgow School of Art said: “The reason for undertaking any staff survey is to recognise and understand where you have weaknesses, strengths and areas for improvement, and we are already working to address these areas.”