To Whom It May Concern
We are writing as a collective of PGR students in POLIS and SSP to express our disappointment at and disapproval of the proposed changes to PGR offices 9.01 and 9.02. Having not been consulted on this matter prior to its implementation and having been given three weeks’ notice on this significant change, we are offering our response.
In the first instance, we would like to make clear that the lack of consultation on this matter and the short timeframe of adjustment is very disappointing as the faculty continues to strive towards good communication with and respect for PGRs. Following the recent PRES survey which focussed on the PGR experience of the research community, wellbeing and mutual respect, it is difficult to read about these changes. We are concerned that this decision has been taken without meaningful input from the PhD student community, whose day-to-day work will be most affected and following the suggestion at our PGR meeting that we would be consulted about any changes. We believe that collaborative discussion is essential to arrive at solutions that balance institutional needs with the realities of research. When we are included in solution finding we can create better solutions such as redesigning the pit, installing meeting booths or addressing issues such as desk allocation.
These decisions will impact us in several key dimensions. Most crucially, the impact this will have on disabled students will be severe. Changes to working spaces, a lack of continuity and safety of fixed desks, changes to arrangements of low lighting, low noise, physical arrangements such as chairs or desks are all significant and cannot be addressed by one-off alternative arrangements. Many students in our PhD community have additional needs, their experience is part of our experience as a whole and accessibility should be built in, not added on. The new automatic doors in the SSP suite are crucial for access arrangements for the PGR community and the proposed plans do not take this into account. Beyond this, access to fixed desktop computers is outlined within the Doctoral College Handbook "All PGRs are offered space to work in one of our offices. Access is granted via a code once you're allocated an office. Offices are shared spaces, with a mix of permanent space and hot desking." (Doctoral College Handbook 2023-24 Annex p. 3). 25% of the desks with PCs will not be sufficient.
Secondly, the PGR community as a whole will be significantly impacted. Having a dedicated workspace fosters a sense of belonging and reinforces our identity as valued members of the academic community. Hot-desking, by contrast, can make PhD students feel transient and disconnected – more so than many students already do. We are proud of the PGR community we have managed to build in the last few years which has been in a large part due to the working environment we have created and continuity of desks and spaces. We value our personal spaces; the people we share desks with and the continuity of our office. The shared working space with fixed desks has facilitated community building and helped students who came to Leeds from far away to connect to others and establish friendships – the planned changes will significantly impact the wellbeing of all PGRs. The PGR community has been a continued focus at PGR forums and in PGR director communications for many years. It is therefore confusing that these changes, which present the clearest and most obviously negative impact on the community, are being implemented . The Leeds Access and Student Success Strategy 2025 highlights that all students should feel they belong and matter to the university, a principle the proposed changes call into question. Similarly, the strategy states “the student voice is embedded in all our evaluative processes across the University” (p.8). In this case, evaluation of the use of the PGR office space has not included PGR voices.
Practically, these changes are incompatible with successful working environments. Doctoral research requires sustained concentration and long-term engagement with complex materials. Fixed desks enable us to leave notes, reference books, and data organised, ensuring continuity of thought and reducing time lost setting up each day. The process of repeatedly searching for an available desk and recreating a working environment is disruptive, inefficient, and can increase stress. A stable workspace supports wellbeing and enables us to work effectively over the long hours that doctoral study demands. We are here to conduct doctoral study and should not be concerned about whether or not we will be able to find a desk. This will be especially important when teaching begins and the office is often busier.
As a result of the thriving community, there have been complaints about the level of noise from conversations within the PGR suite. Therefore, we have been rightfully reminded several times to keep conversations short and quiet and move longer conversations outside. However, doubling the number of PGRs in the office and simultaneously opening up the pit to all building users, can be expected to increase noise. The University prides itself on offering a fantastic PhD experience for its students, enabling them to complete important and rigorous research. We are sure that successful completion of our PhD study is at the forefront of all our minds. We are united in our view that the proposed changes would be detrimental to this.
Finally, PGR students in SSP and POLIS have experienced major disruption in the past two years. A bug infestation in the kitchen caused significant concerns, the subsequent replacement of the kitchen was extremely disruptive, construction work on the building has had a significant noise impact on PGRs as well as silverfish problems in our offices. Additionally, the flooding caused by the toilets over Christmas was troubling to PGRs and raised concerns about our workspace. After working through these issues with the school we feel determined to protect the space we have built and find a more suitable solution.
Considering these points, we make the following requests:
• The decision is reconsidered pending timely and sustained consultation with PGRs. We would be delighted to work with the school on coming to a solution which suits everyone and considers PGR needs. This can be done via Teams or in-person.
• Any proposed further changes to PGR working arrangements are communicated and discussed with PGRs prior to decisions being taken.
• Any agreed changes to working arrangements includes fixed desks, even if this process be trialled and altered, it is the view of the PGRs that fixed desks are most valuable for our research.
• Any agreed changes include functional PCs at all or most desks. Some students do not have access to either computer facilities or quiet working space outside of the office.
• Information about the proposed faculty office, capacity and why other offices (such as those which have just been built upstairs) are not suitable. We would like to see the data that has guided these proposed changes, as there are concerns about its validity. For instance, several people enter the door using one fob, and desktop monitors are often used only as second screens.
We, as a PGR community, are united in our views about the proposed changes. We are confident that everyone would like to see this resolved before the new semester of teaching begins.
Kind regards,