You can't always get what you want! Desired and undesired impacts of a new career development policy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Market rationality, neoliberal approaches and ever-increasing productivity objectives are widespread in higher education discourse and practice. Academic employment has become more uncertain as scholars are more commonly employed on non-tenured, fixed-term contracts. Research shows the resulting detrimental impact on staff well-being and health, which has led some universities to engage in policy initiatives aimed to counter the unwanted effects. Departing from an institutional logic perspective, this contribution investigates the new career policy for contractual scientific staff of a Flemish university. Effective since 2019, it mandates the switch to contracts of indefinite duration and supplementary pension rights for specific contractual scientific staff categories. An in-depth analysis of its implementation unveils its potential (un)intended ramifications – e.g., the perpetuation of employees’ job uncertainty, avoidance strategies, increasing detrimental pressures on research managers, tensions among research groups’ members, and changes in the recruitment process criteria.