Before the holidays, I mentioned that the Office of Human Resources, Employee Diversity and Wellness planned to share findings from the October 16-27, 2023, Employee Engagement/Satisfaction Survey upon our return from the winter break. A total of 495 out of 804 possible respondents completed the survey. The 62 percent response rate was 11 points higher than the previous survey from 2018. There were 77 multiple-choice questions and four comment questions.
Our partners at Korn Ferry have reviewed and analyzed the response data, and we now have information regarding themes and trends to present. The following insights emerged from the multiple-choice questions:
· Respondents have a relatively high sense of well-being and appreciate the university’s attention to quality and students. They feel we do well on ethics/compliance and respect/recognition.
· Though slightly below these, employee enablement, clear & promising direction, performance management and diversity/inclusion are viewed as generally positive.
· More than half of respondents believe these areas could use improvement: authority & empowerment, resources, corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, and development opportunities.
· Areas in need of significant improvement include confidence in leaders, collaboration, pay & benefits, training, and work, structure & process.
Among the comment responses, we heard that Winthrop is viewed as a warm and welcoming place with a sense of community. Additionally, employees’ passion and commitment are evident, and our attempts to boost morale and re-establish trust are appreciated. In addition to the areas of needed improvement mentioned above, respondents let us know that there are on-going staffing issues that make employees feel constantly stretched and that physical working conditions must improve, among others. We will consider all of the feedback we received as we move forward.
Results of the Employee Engagement/Satisfaction Survey include the percentages of employees who responded favorable, neutral, and unfavorable to the questions within the survey dimensions. We cannot share the specific questions and responses due to proprietary restrictions, but the survey dimensions represent groupings of questions. The Winthrop strategic plan will incorporate some of what we have learned from the survey, and additional discussions are taking place to identify and develop initiatives to address specific concerns we heard from employees.
Thank you once again to everyone who participated in the survey for sharing your important insights to help improve our campus working environment.
Edward
Edward A. Serna
