What 'everyday' cost-saving measures has your university put in place?

[YopMeMama]

I've NC for this but long-time poster.

As well as the 'big' stuff like removing our personal research budgets, the VS scheme, compulsory redundancy, push for massive income generation etc., my university also has a number of day-to-day cost saving measures which range from cruel to illogical to downright weird.

At my institution:

> We've been told no more tea/coffee supplied by the university. If you want a hot drink, bring your own supplies.

> The thermostats have all been turned down, our portable heaters have been removed, and we've been told no offices are to be more than 18C.

> Our printing is being closely monitored. No more than 200 pages of A4 per academic, per term. External printing (unless for specific things like big posters, recruitment materials etc.) can't be claimed on expenses.

> Lunch can only be ordered for events which last more than four hours regardless of what the event is and who's attending.

I get the point - taken together across the institution, these measures could actually add up to quite a bit of saving. But when I tell non-academic pals these things, they're just baffled.

What's happening where you are?

Tea/coffee and lunches went a couple of years ago at my place. Unless you're a VC or PVC. Clearly those salaries can't be expected to cover a flask and hot drink from home!

Not paying us our bonus. That’s saved hundreds of thousands of pounds and caused quite a few people to dust of their CVs.

Cancelling our publication agreements meaning neither us or our students will have access to core disciplinary journals.

You used to get bonuses?!

I'm surprised some of these were happening for you before now. We don't feed our our own staff - only for hospitality. Thermostats just turned down, redundancy like everywhere else. We are millions over budget so sure some worse things ahead!

Yes unbelievablely but also because we were underpaid compared to other Universities and a bonus is non pensionable and can be stopped at any time, unlike a decent salary.

My (soon to be ex) Uni is wealthy, and has a very healthy surplass while telling its staff that they are a drain on resources.

Tea and coffee went for us years ago. No catering at away days, a recent event brought in people from outside university- they got lunch and we didn't. No travel, Research accounts wiped. The heating is still on thankfully!

I’m amazed they paid for your tea and coffee. I’m NHS and I’ve never had drinks covered. We stopped meeting lunches in about 2017.

We had not had tea or coffee provided since I started at mine in the early 2010s. When we had an invited speaker, only their lunch or dinner was covered. No refreshments at seminars.

When I retired, I had an 11 year old desktop and an IPad that was 7 years old. It Ipad was part of a promotion package, but I had to give it back when I left. I had an old laser printer on my desk because my computer was so old it would not print on the photocopiers. They then told me I had to provide my own toner. I literally could not print for years. I printed off my documents at home, brought them in , and made photocopies for class from those. Book proofs I had printed at a local business so I could check them.

Massive cuts of library databases, 3 and 4 people in an office meant for 1 or 2. Parking charges increase for permits.

Bonuses only went to senior management. When I finally reached the lowest tier for a professorship, I never received a bonus. My line manager and one above said excellent performance, but it was downgraded by top management so they did not have to pay me.

Journal editing was not workloaded, and it was expected that you gave your stipend to the university or went part time to “make up” for the hours.

Any research funds for conferences have been eliminated. I’ve heard tell that they are thinking only grant funded research will be supported in future.

The Christmas party for the division last year was to meet at the student bar where you could buy your own drink. Ho Ho Ho.

I was continually told I was so lucky to have the job! So glad I am retired.

I temped in uni admin many years ago. At one university college, part of my job was to make tea, coffee and biscuits for every meeting they had. I was surprised by this compared to my private sector temping.

We were paying for our own tea, coffee etc from at least 2010 when I joined. Water coolers across the campus went in a previous economy drive about 2012.

Wow, I've worked in quite a few different unis and never heard of bonuses. I'm sorry it's ended for you though.

I think the printing is quite subject and cohort size dependent (and also depends if you are printing out lots of research papers), but I do feel like there's a lot that could be cut down on when you go to a meeting and every other person has printed out pages and pages of agendas etc.

No tea or coffee at meetings unless very senior staff in attendance or there's an external speaker and the event is over 4 hours in length. Conferences no longer supported; no printing and enforced hot-desking which has torn our team apart and is humiliating and distracting. I'm glad to be heading towards retirement to be honest and feel sorry for younger colleagues who have no sense of an academic community.

All of those things, plus the cleaners won’t empty your bin, they have cut them back to come only every couple of days

We have had TAs cut entirely for 2025/26. No idea how we’ll cover all the teaching without them.

Tea and coffee long gone from kitchens

No meeting refreshments ( no matter how long the meeting)

No external speakers (unless they'll do it for free)

Our buildings have always been way too cold in the winter and way too warm in the summer - so no change there.

Which of those is cruel, OP? I think they're pretty standard for public sector?

Teas, coffees and lunches shouldn't be being paid for by the taxpapers so I'm okay with that. Get a kitty sorted. I used to work (many eons ago) for a accountancy firm (PKF) (loads of dosh there) and we had to pay for our own.

As far as heating...I couldn't work in 18degrees. Too cold.

I'm surprised some of those were still
happening. Haven't had tea/coffee provided for at least 15 years, probably longer. Same with refreshments at meetings. We had a total ban on printing at one point!

As above.

Enormous increase in parking charges with immediate penalty charges for non compliance.

Hotdesking but not a huge problem as staff now only come in for contact work (see parking costs!)

Heating off in corridors, most staff congregate in one office as warm.

All promotions, ACE schemes etc frozen indefinitely. SMG made it very clear that the compulsory 2% pay rise for staff was too much and they would prefer not to have to pay so much.

Very difficult to publish. All have to be reviewed by PVC Research and only those deemed most valuable (REF) are supported.

Loss of huge number of professional service staff so no programme admin now. Not expected to be replaced so academics pick up all admin.

I'm not sure we are any worse than other universities but not a great environment for anyone tbh.

This sounds dire! Indefinite promotion freeze and control over what you publish! We have a promotion freeze but surely morale will be dismal if it continues. I think that would make me go. I'm overdue a promotion and my motivation is rapidly diminishing to take on anything extra.

I’ve talked to colleagues since I left via retirement, and morale is in the basement. People are doing the minimum they can (although so overworked), and several left.

I knew it was time to go when I was invited to a conference abroad to present—conference was totally paid for by the other institution, airfare, food, etc, and there was a publication plan for an article in a top journal, as well as a book-length edition with a very good publisher. These publications were being done out of my hide in my free time due to workload. I wanted to stay an extra 3 days to look at an archive for said publications and received so much grief for the extra £500 I requested. I finally said, how I am supposed to do my job if you aren’t willing to provide anything?

When institutions are counting the paper clips and number of pages being photocopied, they are going to go under.

That is what is so sad. We have become acclimatised to it. It feels like a race to the bottom. I do wonder if the plan is to have most faculty be adjuncts on short term contract with a tiny amount of permanent faculty…this is the way community colleges in the States have been run for years. You cannot really run a university that does good research that way however.

Some of the measures in your OP are understandable cost cutting measures, tho depressing. But others are ridiculously counter productive. I mean, cutting access to journals? Madness, and no way to make skilled people feel valued. Morale must be so low 😢

Our place told us to use our alumni status to get access to the journals we needed. People were calling in favours from colleagues at other institutions. It was part of a move to only supporting grant-funded research.