Insights into the Working Experience of Casual Academics and Their Immediate Supervisors
Abstract
"The increasing use of casual university academics has been an issue of concern
to researchers and commentators for some time. Research to date has tended to
focus on the plight of casuals who aspire to permanent positions, and emphasising
issues such as career dissatisfaction, exploitation, and marginalisation. Little
evidence has been gathered that quantifies the views of casuals more broadly.
Less still has been gathered on the perceptions of the immediate supervisors
of casuals. This article seeks to compare the perceptions of a cohort of casuals
and their immediate supervisors. Both quantitative and qualitative data are
gathered via a survey of academic staff employed in the business faculty of a large
metropolitan university. The survey results indicate, among other things, a high
level of mutual satisfaction between casuals and their immediate supervisors.
Casuals also expressed a high level of general satisfaction with their work as
casual staff. These and other findings are discussed in some detail."