Health Problems: Psychological Problems, Chronic Illness and Addiction
Examples:
- I have been diagnosed with a chronic illness. Who can help me to continue to be able to do my work?
- I feel listless and can no longer perform as well as I used to.
- How should I proceed if I notice that a colleague is suffering from an addiction?
- What should I do if I see that a student is experiencing mental health problems?
- My personal situation – e.g. mourning, (mental) illness, high burden of care, poor home working environment – is negatively affecting my work.
- How can I deal with university members who complain about regulations and put me under pressure (e.g. aggression or crying)?
Contact:
- Psycho-social counselling centre (website in German)
- Severely Disabled Employee Representatives (website in German)
- Staff Council (website in German)
- University Physician (website in German)
- University Chaplaincy (website in German)
- University Health Management
Discrimination
Examples:
- Where can I turn if inappropriate, sexualised, racist and/or discriminatory comments are frequently made in my working group?
- Since taking parental leave (or caring for relatives), I have been given fewer responsibilities and feel disadvantaged in the team.
- Frequent comments about my appearance or my body are causing me to feel insecure.
- I was passed over for promotion and I think it is because I'm too young/too old.
- I observe religious rules that my supervisor does not want to support.
- I feel discriminated against because I constantly receive questions about where I come from. How should I conduct myself?
- There is a great deal of tension in my institute or my team due to the unequal treatment of men and women. Where can I find support to address the problem?
Contact:
- Anti-Discrimination Office
- Staff Council (website in German)
- Equal Opportunity
- Psycho-social counselling centre (website in German)
- Severely Disabled Employee Representatives (website in German)
- Family Services Office
(Sexual) Harassment, Stalking, Bullying
Examples:
- Whom can I turn to if my supervisor or someone else at the university is (sexually) harassing me?
- Whom can I turn to regarding stalking and bullying in my work environment?
- My ex-partner follows me all the way to the university or lies in wait for me here.
- I am receiving lewd emails from university members.
- I am often given undemanding and/or impossible tasks that other colleagues do not receive.
- I have the feeling that I am the only one in my team whose working hours are closely monitored.
Contact:
Psycho-social counselling centre (website in German)
Staff Council (website in German)
Committee for Conflict Resolution in Academic Workplaces (for academic staff, website in German)
Severely Disabled Employee Representatives (website in German)
University chaplaincy (website in German)
Financial Problems
Examples:
- Care work is causing me financial difficulties.
- I don't know how I am going to finance my doctoral studies.
- My employment is ending and I have no idea what will happen after that and/or my supervisor is not making any effort to extend it.
- My income/my funding is too low. What additional financial support is available?
Contact:
- Staff Council (website in German)
- The Trimberg Research Academy Graduate Centre
- Severely Disabled Employee Representatives (website in German)
- Care Support (website in German)
Exceptional Life Circumstances
Examples:
- Where can I turn if my supervisor is not showing consideration for my personal/difficult situation (pregnancy, illness)?
- Whom can I contact regarding my burdens resulting from raising children, pregnancy, family care responsibilities, etc.?
- I cannot schedule appointments at certain times (e.g. care-relevant times) because I have to look after children or care for relatives; this is straining the working relationship with my team.
- How can I make my workplace barrier-free and who can provide the necessary support?
- I am seriously ill and/or newly disabled and do not know how I will reconcile this with my job.
- I am undergoing gender transition and have a lot of questions and uncertainties. Who can help me?
Contact:
Severely Disabled Employee Representatives (website in German)
Staff Council (website in German)
Care support (website in German)
Psycho-social counselling centre (website in German)
Work Organisation and Teaching (for instructors)
Examples:
- Who may/must independently supervise and correct student theses? What name is indicated on the correction?
- I am not certain whether I am allowed to/must carry out this task (e.g. give a lecture).
- I constantly have to teach more than my official teaching load and see no possibility for a reduction before my contract expires.
- Whom do I approach if I feel overwhelmed by my work assignments?
- What can I do if students complain about me to my supervisor without approaching me first?
- What do I do if students refuse or criticise the didactic setting or participation, or deliberately disrupt the course?
Contact:
- Deans of Studies GuK, SoWi (websites in German), Huwi and WIAI
- Non-professorial Academic Staff Council (website in German)
- Committee for Conflict Resolution in Academic Workplaces (website in German)
- Centre for University Teaching (website in German)
- The Trimberg Research Academy Graduate Centre
Conflicts in Working Teams and with Supervisors
Examples:
- Who can offer support when conflicts within my working team put a strain on work performance (supervisors, coworkers, etc.)?
- Whom can I turn to if there is dissent with superiors about operational and/or qualification-related tasks?
- Who can help me if I feel overburdened, overwhelmed or inadequately supported in official matters?
- Who acts as applicant and/or project leader in third-party funded projects?
- Who can provide counsel in the event of disagreements regarding authorship in joint publications?
- Whom can I turn to if I suspect that I am being passed over for promotion?
- Where can supervisors find support in team conflicts or difficult personnel matters?
Contact:
- Committee for Conflict Resolution in Academic Workplaces (for academic staff, website in German)
- Staff Council (website in German)
- Anti-Discrimination Office
- The Trimberg Research Academy Graduate Centre
- Non-professorial Academic Staff Council (website in German)
- Psycho-social counselling centre (website in German)
Academic Qualification and Career Planning
Examples:
- What can I do if my supervisor does not support advanced training or continuing education?
- Where can I turn if my dissertation/habilitation or academic career seems to have stalled?
- Who can help me if I would like to change my academic supervisor?
- What can I do if my supervision agreement is not being honoured?
- Who can advise me on finding a career outside of the university?
- Where can I find support if I am not allowed to work on my dissertation during working hours?
- My supervisor does not allow special leave or absence for research or academic pursuits outside of my own university. What can I do?
- Where can I turn if my supervisor gives feedback so late that I can't meet deadlines?
- Where can I turn if I would like to pursue new tasks within the university?
Contact:
- The Trimberg Research Academy Graduate Centre
- Committee for Conflict Resolution in Academic Workplaces (for academic staff, website in German)
- Doctoral Committee offices for the Faculties GuK, SoWi, Huwi, WIAI (websites in German)
- Non-professorial Academic Staff Council (website in German)
- Anti-Discrimination Office
- Staff Council (website in German)