The load carrying.
Back from Christmas with a bump, this week has mostly been about catching up with all things related to the STFC transformation, and contemplating mental health.
Over my first three days back in the office of 2026, I've:
- Spent some time working through the UKRI People Survey results, shared with me in my TUS role. I haven't had enough time to spend with the (very detailed) results to come to any conclusions yet, but the broad themes are roughly as expected and can be summed up as, “Change is hard.”
- On which theme, I've spoken to several colleagues, Prospect members and not, who are genuinely struggling to cope with the level of uncertainty and delays in making/communicating the tough decisions needed as a result of tightening budgets. This is a key issue I'll need to pick up with senior management, at all levels, over the coming days and weeks.
- I also attended a meeting of the Prospect UKRI Branch Executive Committee which considered formal motions (i.e., requests for the Branch to set union policy, or take specific actions, on behalf of members) for the annual delegates conference which takes place in a few weeks.
After a lovely three weeks off, over the holidays, what's hit me like a truck this week has been the scale of the psychological load that union colleagues are currently carrying on behalf of their members. On top of the pressure of our day jobs, and anything happening outside of work, the mental health and wellbeing implications are something I'm really noticing in myself and hearing from others, too. 2026 will be a challenging year, but we have to put our wellbeing first.
