By Mandy X. Hu
I hung up the phone and couldn’t stop the tears or the sobs that followed. My body was still processing the unexpected accusations and harsh words on the other end of the line.
This happened many years ago. Without going into detail, I wanted to share that I know what it’s like to work in an environment where social dynamics can be challenging—the tension at the start of the workday, and the way certain interactions can make you feel smaller than you’d like. It’s one of the reasons I took on the role of Project Manager Social Safety at the Amsterdam Doctoral School.
What we hear
My own experience showed me how hard this can feel—but what I see as a PhD advisor is often even more serious. Often, social unsafety shows up as a series of mean remarks or unconstructive feedback that PhD candidates deal with year after year. Sometimes it’s more explosive—from being yelled at for mistakes to being pressured into unreasonable workloads in exchange for a PhD.
In most cases, PhD candidates are reluctant to blow the whistle or file a formal complaint because they are afraid—and sometimes rightly so—that it could hurt their PhD position or future career. That’s why we, as a Doctoral School, feel responsible for finding other ways to help.
What we can do
In situations of social unsafety, we can offer coaching to help you cope and act on your own terms. We can support you mentally and emotionally if you decide to have a conversation with the person involved. We also have a Signaling, Intervention, and Action plan (SIA plan) to track recurring patterns of problems with supervisors or departments. With your consent, we report these issues anonymously to the relevant people and help them work on an improvement plan.
This year, we also dedicated the Working Group PhD Wellbeing—a collaboration between key stakeholders at Amsterdam UMC—to improving social safety in our research departments.
Why we need you
While we’re proud of these initiatives, they aren’t enough on their own. To create a truly sustainable and socially safe PhD environment, we need you.
By you, I mean the hard worker whose ambition has sometimes overshadowed care for the people around them—no achievement matters if someone else was hurt along the way. By you, I mean the bystander who is too scared to speak up—your support can make a real difference, even in small ways, like checking in with a colleague or raising a concern when it matters. By you, I mean the affected individual who feels powerless—the risk of speaking up may be high, and your hesitation is understandable. Yet, even the smallest step, like confiding in someone you trust, can be an act of courage and a catalyst for change. By you, I call on leaders stuck in the current system—social safety takes courage, and sometimes that means making tough choices, even if it costs prestige or resources. And by you, I also mean my reflection in the mirror—am I taking enough accountability and action when I hear your stories about social unsafety, or when I witness or display questionable behavior?
Social safety isn’t an abstract concept. It’s people. It’s us. We create it—or break it—every day through our words, our values, and our actions. We are social safety. It starts with each of us, in small acts and small decisions.
Do you recognize yourself in this article? The PhD advisors are here for you. Get in touch with us for a consultation (phdadvisor@amsterdamumc.nl).