Academia can never be ‘just a job’ (and why that is OK)

Burned-out researchers everywhere related to Laurel Raffington’s opinion piece “Academia is just a job”, which appeared in Nature Human Behaviour last December. Her message? Clock in at 9am, clock out at 5pm, and stop martyring yourself for science. If you do, you will become both more productive and more content with your academic life. 

Like many academics, I was initially drawn to the simplicity and timeliness of the pitch. I was swamped with administrative work and rushing to submit a paper revision, often working weekends to keep up with my teaching.

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But here is where I drew the line, based on first-hand lessons learned throughout my career. Forcing academic work into a conventional nine-to-five mould isn’t just impractical; it’s a recipe for mediocrity. The answer to a sustainable, meaningful career isn’t to pretend academia is like working at an insurance company. It’s for universities to design smarter policies that honour both human well-being and the chaotic, serendipitous nature of scientific discovery.

Scheduling that eureka moment? A myth

First, creativity doesn’t punch a time card. Ask any researcher when their best ideas arrive, and you’ll hear stories about 3am epiphanies, weekend lab breakthroughs or that one conference conversation that rewired their entire research agenda. These aren’t romantic myths; they’re the messy realities of how science works. The solution? Enable diverse, self-chosen work patterns instead of enforcing uniform hours. Universities should address the real culprits that deplete staff – bloated teaching loads, endless administrative meetings, institutionalised extracurricular chores and communication overload – rather than dictate when inspiration is allowed to strike. Give researchers real breathing room instead of a straitjacket.

Pressure itself isn’t the enemy – excess is

Economists have long recognised that the relationship between competitive pressure and performance follows an inverted-U curve: zero pressure breeds complacency, while crushing pressure causes individual and systemic breakdown. Academic culture has historically celebrated dysfunction over rigour, glorifying self-sacrifice at the expense of well-being. But the opposite extreme (no urgency, no consequences) produces stagnation and mediocrity. The solution is calibrated competition: high standards, real deadlines, rigorous peer review and genuine meritocracy, paired with real institutional support (that is, reasonable workloads, adequate research support and time, and functioning equipment) as opposed to performative wellness initiatives.

Mobility matters – even if it’s exhausting

Academia is genuinely global, and that matters. International mobility connects researchers with specialised equipment, complementary expertise and fresh perspectives, enabling cross-pollination of ideas across institutions. Crucially, when individual achievements (such as grants, publications and reputation) remain portable, excellence can transcend institutional walls, preventing the entrenchment of inequalities. UK debates around research portability illustrate how system-level design choices reshape both individual incentives and organisational performance. Yes, mobility can be brutal on families and personal stability, as I can attest. But the solution isn’t abolition; it’s making mobility more humane with better relocation support, dual-career assistance and genuine recognition that jumping institutions and borders requires difficult adjustments.

The path forward is smarter, not simpler

Look, I am not dismissing Raffington’s well-being agenda. I have experienced both burnout and exploitative conditions, and they are widespread in our field. But many professions suffer toxic pressures without the privilege of advancing human knowledge. Academia shouldn’t get a pass on treating people decently but oversimplification is equally dangerous. Declaring that academia is like any other job and imposing standard office hours ignores what makes scholarly work unique: the skills, resilience, passion and exploratory spirit that drive scientific discovery. These aren’t corporate buzzwords; they’re real attributes that deserve institutional design that enhances rather than suppresses them. 

None of this dismisses the need for clear career paths, decent contracts, fair pay, transparency, mentoring and time for care responsibilities. But the mechanism matters. Instead of over-standardising hours, our institutions could pursue outcome-based protections. They should:

1. Reduce non-research burdens. Cut committee bloat, streamline administration and hire support staff so academics aren’t also IT support, event planners and counsellors.
2. Resource teams properly. Fund postdocs adequately, give PhD students decent living stipends and provide necessary and cutting-edge equipment.
3. Let researchers work when and how they work best. Some thrive in the morning, others late at night. Build systems that accommodate diversity rather than enforcing uniformity.

The bottom line for improving academic working conditions

The path forward for sustainable working conditions for researchers isn’t choosing between well-being and scientific progress. It’s recognising that they’re inseparable. Complement flexibility with tangible support (that is, time, money and resources), not platitudes. Protect people from chronic overload. Calibrate competition to its motivational sweet spot. Do all this and you get both healthier researchers and better science.

Academia will never be “just a job” because the work itself – understanding the universe, curing diseases, solving climate change – refuses to fit neatly into traditional work boundaries. And that’s OK. It’s more than OK; it’s essential. So, let’s not pretend that we can solve academia’s problems with human resources templates designed for widget factories. Let’s build something better: policies that honour both the humanity of researchers and the magnificent weirdness of discovery itself.

Sorin M. S. Krammer is professor of strategy and international business at the University of Southampton.

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