A major survey of the Australian architecture profession has found that personal wellbeing among the profession is “an urgent area of concern.”
A comprehensive report of the survey results was launched at the Australian Institute of Architects Lost Opportunities Symposium in Melbourne on 20 March.
More than 2,000 individuals responded to the survey, which is part of a longitudinal study undertaken by Monash University academics Naomi Stead, Julie Wolfram Cox, Maryam Gusheh and Brian Cooper, and Kirsten Orr, Registrar of the NSW Architects Registration Board. The majority of respondents were registered architects or those in the process of registration.
The survey found architects scored lower than average on every measure of personal wellbeing.
The survey found that people working in architecture have lower than average quality of life than Australian norms, scoring lower than average on all measures of personal wellbeing with the lowest being “future security.”
Architects also scored higher than average on measures of psychological distress, including anxiety and depression and have higher than average levels of burnout.
The survey found architects have higher than average levels of psychological distress.
Of the survey respondents, 42 percent reported that their career had a generally negative impact on their wellbeing and a large proportion also reported that their education also had an overall negative effect on wellbeing.
The survey report states that a number of factors are contributing to the poor wellbeing of architects, including compressed timelines, unrealistic deadlines and inadequate fees.
Working more than contracted hours was also found to be rife within the industry.
Dissatisfaction with remuneration was also a contributor to poor wellbeing; however, satisfaction increased with age with older respondents more likely to be satisfied with their remuneration than younger respondents.
The survey results will ultimately contribute to creating resources for workplaces and education providers to help improve wellbeing and change the culture within the industry.
The researchers have also launched a website of resources where the full report of survey results can be downloaded.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
