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    The Open University Reviews

    Updated 15 April 2018
    144 reviews

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    3.3
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    The Open University Vice-Chancellor Peter Horrocks
    Peter Horrocks
    49 Ratings

    144 Employee Reviews

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    Pros
    Cons

    • Bullying culture, micro-management, not a lot of support and no opportunities for career progression (in 8 reviews)

    • Senior Management Team and Vice Chancellor (in 8 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "buyer"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I worked at The Open University full-time

      Pros

      nice culture, happy people, fab place

      Cons

      none, none , none, none,none

    2. "OU"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      Pros

      Work life balance is great

      Cons

      current uncertainty about the OU future

      3. Join the The Open University team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "An fabulous institution having a few hiccups"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Milton Keynes, England
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Milton Keynes, England
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at The Open University full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      social mission, students, people, materials,

      Cons

      Senior Management Team and Vice Chancellor

      Advice to Management

      Learn what your employees do, it does help.

    4. "Should be a nice place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Team Manager in Milton Keynes, England
      Former Employee - Team Manager in Milton Keynes, England
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at The Open University full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Good benefits in terms of holidays, pension and ability to study

      Cons

      Bullying management on a power trip in student facing areas

      Advice to Management

      Peter Horrocks is a good guy. I think he can change it. He isnt helped by people with agendas and too many management in the academic services area. Hopeless management at that.

    5. Helpful (3)

      "Review of the Open University"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Lecturer in Milton Keynes, England
      Current Employee - Lecturer in Milton Keynes, England
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at The Open University full-time (More than 8 years)

      Pros

      Flexibility, particularly if you have young children/caring responsibilities
      Opportunities for developing writing skills/production skills
      Some excellent colleagues

      Cons

      Lack of career progression
      Current climate at the Open University demoralising - VC talking about the coming biggest programme of cuts at any university in the UK with pride! Most regional centres already cut. Comes from BBC and not interested in day to day work of the university in delivering teaching across a wide range of subjects just in being at the forefront of media developments
      Micromanagement
      Lack of resources being devoted to the production of what used to be first class materials
      Pace of change in a big and complex UK wide institution - difficulties in managing student expectations in the face of the often irrational changes
      Managerialism and lack of support for staff
      Isolation - little effort to support staff working in isolated situations and largely at home since the closure of the regions.
      Big workload

      Advice to Management

      I have worked for the University for 8 years full time and seen a massive change over that time in the resources that are being devoted to what used to be the gold standard of materials. Time and resources have been cut drastically and staff morale has plummeted.

      Listen to staff delivering materials, teaching and administration on the front line
      Stop boasting about paying yourself £360,000 upwards to administer the biggest programme of redundancies in any university in the UK and get behind staff in their efforts to maintain high standards and produce good teaching materials in difficult times. Return to the core work of the university rather than devoting huge sums to high profile initiatives like Future Learn and starving the production and teaching teams of essential resources .
      Return to the core values of the Open University - social justice
      Support staff - every single metric has declined since this VC took over and yet he has paid himself £13k PRP ( and a vast salary) - what kind of accountability and governance is there?

      Take responsibility for the bad decisions that have been made and reflect on senior management's role in the decline in metrics and poor decision making
      Cut senior management and put resources into the faculties
      Listen to the people doing the job.
      Row back on the move to hive off the most valuable bits of the OU business

      Listen to the students rather than creating meaningless sound bites - the students consistently say they want a blended learning approach ( print, online and face to face teaching) and not for everything to be online.

      Listen to Senate

    6. "Needs radical change - uncertain future"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Milton Keynes, England
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Milton Keynes, England
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I worked at The Open University full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Nice location - lots of green space yet near the city. Well placed between London and Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge etc. Very generous holidays, very flexible for part-time etc - especially for staff in centre of university.

      Cons

      Lack of vision, needs radical change to keep up with the times and also to remain financially viable. Major change management "transformation" programme, but trying to achieve too much change in a very disjointed way with no real leadership or vision. Staff feel very frustrated and disillusioned. Nobody has been given a clear message as to what the future direction is. Are the instituion going to become teaching only? What about world leading research areas? Many (including key academics) are looking to leave. And a very downbeat atmosphere across the campus.

      Advice to Management

      Get some clear direction and leadership!

    7. "Great job"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Associate Lecturer in Milton Keynes, England
      Current Employee - Associate Lecturer in Milton Keynes, England
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at The Open University part-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Freedom empowered energising, independent full of joys of teaching motivated students

      Cons

      Solitary because you are working at a distance

      Advice to Management

      More face to face interaction with students

    8. "FASS Student Support"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I worked at The Open University full-time

      Pros

      Great Team Managers
      Manageable targets
      Relaxed work environment

      Cons

      Sometimes problems with system limit ability to do job
      Out-dated computer programs

    9. "Uncertain times ahead ..."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at The Open University full-time

      Pros

      An amazing institution with opportunities for agile working; use of an external employees assistance programme; supported learning; generous holiday entitlement; reasonable salary.

      Cons

      Too much change and not in a good way!

      Advice to Management

      Restore faith in the management and ethos of the organization.

    10. "The Open University"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at The Open University full-time

      Pros

      Great company to work, the work-life balance is excellent.

      Cons

      At the moment I can`t see any

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