2009 Employee Opinion Survey Summary Report

2009 Employee Opinion Survey Summary Report

Table of Contents (Use Ctrl + Click to jump to specific sections or page numbers) Executive Summary... 1 Section A. Demographic Information... 3 Overall Survey Response Rate... 3 Survey Response Rate by Unit... 3 Survey Response Rate by Employee Group... 4 Gender Composition of Survey Participants... 4 Supervise or Manage Other Employees... 5 Average Length of Tenure at the University and OVPR... 5 Section B. Ways to Increase Job Satisfaction... 6 Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction... 6 Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction by Employee Group... 7 Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction by Units... 8 Actions Supervisors Could Take to Increase Job Satisfaction... 9 Actions to Increase Job Satisfaction by Employee Group... 10 Actions to Increase Job Satisfaction by Units... 11 Types of Employee Recognition Activities... 12 Types of Employee Recognition Activities by Employee Group... 13 Types of Employee Recognition Activities by Units... 14 Types of Flexible Work Arrangements... 15 Types of Flexible Work Arrangements by Employee Group... 16 Types of Flexible Work Arrangements by Units... 17 New Employee Onboarding Activities... 18 Level of Agreement on New Employee Onboarding Activities... 19 Level of Agreement on Team Building Activities or Social Events... 20 Internal Equity and External Competitiveness of Compensation... 21 Internal Equity and External Competitiveness by Employee Group... 21 Significant Misconduct by Coworkers within OVPR... 22 Section C. Diversity Awareness... 23 OVPR Staff Awareness of Diversity... 23

Executive Summary The first-ever OVPR Employee Opinion Survey was conducted in February 2009. This survey was meant to complement the 2008 University Staff Pulse Survey and obtain additional information from our staff related to job satisfaction, including employee recognition, employee onboarding activities, performance management, and career development. As with all surveys, the results represent part of a broader picture and further analysis may be necessary to complete the full picture. The recommendations below identify specific areas where further analysis is necessary in order to develop action plans. The survey also examined OVPR s diversity awareness, which could be helpful in shedding some light on the efforts of the Office of Equity and Diversity in promoting diversity at the University of Minnesota. Survey Approach The OVPR employee survey was created by OVPR s Human Resources Specialist through consultation and review by several areas: OVPR Associate Vice President, Office of Human Resources, Office of Measurement Services, OVPR Communications, OVPR Chief of Staff, OED Associate Vice President & Chief of Staff, and a focus group pilot study. The online survey was conducted in a confidential environment with HR personnel being the only individuals with access to identifiable data. After initial analysis by HR staff, de-identified and aggregated data was compiled and analyzed into the report attached to this summary. Results Summary The survey response rate was 60.6% based on the 160 employees eligible to complete the survey (student employees were excluded). Not all employees groups responded equally to the survey, with a noticeably low response rate from AFSME positions (31.3%) compared with a 60.3% response rate from civil service and a 74% response rate from P&A. Based on the respondent data, common factors contributing to job satisfaction and engagement were identified in the following areas: Employee Reward and Recognition Work-Life Balance Performance Management Career Development In particular, over 94% of respondents advocate incentive pay as a way to reward good performance. A majority also rate individual recognition, such as verbal appreciation and special training or professional development opportunities, very highly. More than 83% of the respondents think their job satisfaction would increase significantly if they could work flexible schedules (such as telecommuting, flextime, or a compressed workweek). Managers/supervisors could play a key role in an effective performance management process where they could increase employees satisfaction to a significant extent by demonstrating fair and equal treatment, providing ongoing constructive and timely coaching/feedback, applaud achievements and identify areas for improvement. Last but not least, nearly 98% of the respondents want to have more career advancement and/or diverse career path opportunities. You will find detailed results from the survey on the following pages. The report is divided into four sections and nine major areas: Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction 1

Actions Supervisors Could Take to Increase Job Satisfaction Types of Employee Recognition Programs Types of Flexible Work Arrangements New Employee Onboarding Activities Level of Agreement on Team Building Activities or Social Events Internal Equity and External Competitiveness of Compensation Diversity Awareness The results are briefly interpreted for each major section. In most cases, results are presented for the overall set of respondents and then broken down by employee group and by unit. However, apparent differences in responses by employee group and unit on the graphs presented may not be significantly different statistically from one another. The purpose is to let management in each unit understand the results from both an across-unit and unit-specific perspective. Recommendations The OVPR management team has already begun looking into ways to implement the survey findings. Some recommendations will require further study and entail more long-term planning than others, but we are committed to finding ways to help implement recommendations such as: offering flexible work schedules implementing an effective performance management system conducting further analysis of incentive-based pay providing training for managers to help implement some of the best practices indicated in the survey, such as encouraging an employee s willingness to learn, demonstrating fair and equal treatment, and giving timely recognition for a job well done forming a work group to identify new employee onboarding activities documenting career paths for employees. We will provide updates as initiatives in these areas move forward. 2

Section A. Demographic Information OVPR has 160 employees who were eligible survey participants. As of March 5 th, 2009, 97 of them completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 60.6%. The sample breakdowns on some main demographic categories are shown below. Overall Survey Response Rate No Response Rate 39.4% Survey Completion Rate 60.6% Survey Response Rate by Unit No Response OTC VPR Admin Office OVPR-IT RSPP RIOP SPA 2 2.1% 15 9 13 9 21 93.8% 50.0% 50.0% 64.3% 27 72.4% 50.9% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Total Respondents Response Rate 3

Survey Response Rate by Employee Group AFSCME 10 31.3% Civil Service 47 60.3% P&A 37 74.0% 0 10 20 30 40 50 Total Respondents Response Rate Gender Composition of Survey Participants No response 9.3% Male 30.9% Female 59.8% 4

Supervise or Manage Other Employees No Response 5.2% Yes 39.2% No 55.7% Average Length of Tenure at the University and OVPR 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 9.3 10.0 9.0 2.0 0.0 4.1 3.5 4.1 Overall Respondents P&A Respondents Civil Service Respondents Average Tenure at the University Average Tenure at OVPR 5

Section B. Ways to Increase Job Satisfaction 1) How significant would the following factors be in increasing your job satisfaction? Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction Having job rotation opportunities within your unit or OVPR 1.78 Incentive pay based on performance More career advancement opportunities Higher base pay 3.19 3.29 3.49 More help from co-workers More help from supervisor 2.18 2.22 More flexible work schedule 3.52 More challenging work 2.50 More opportunities to work overtime Fewer opportunities to work overtime 1.79 1.92 Mean Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which they think the above factors would increase their job satisfaction with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 6

Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction by Employee Group Having job rotation opportunities within your unit or OVPR 1.67 1.73 Incentive pay based on performance More career advancement opportunities Higher base pay 3.15 3.19 3.34 3.37 3.36 3.51 More help from co-workers More help from supervisor 2.17 2.31 2.41 2.13 More flexible work schedule 3.83 3.24 More challenging work 2.42 2.48 More opportunities to work overtime Fewer opportunities to work overtime 1.60 1.64 1.73 2.60 Civil Service Mean P&A Mean Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which they think the above factors would increase their job satisfaction with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 7

Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction by Units Having job rotation opportunities within your unit or OVPR Incentive pay based on performance More career advancement opportunities Higher base pay More help from coworkers More help from supervisor More flexible work schedule More challenging work More opportunities to work overtime Fewer opportunities to work overtime 1.92 1.56 1.74 1.89 1.91 1.67 2.93 2.56 2.93 2.75 1.78 1.43 1.50 1.14 1.38 1.20 1.43 1.50 3.19 2.36 2.15 2.27 2.50 2.21 1.88 1.90 2.44 2.67 2.13 4.00 3.75 3.75 4.11 3.13 3.89 2.95 3.44 2.33 2.89 2.83 2.19 2.44 2.78 2.18 3.00 2.00 2.18 2.13 2.00 2.93 2.67 3.25 3.33 3.13 3.11 3.65 4.50 4.00 4.25 4.33 VPR Admin Office Mean OVPR-IT Mean OTC Mean SPA Mean RSPP Mean RIOP Mean 8

2) If your direct supervisor would consistently take the following actions, how significant would these actions be at driving your job satisfaction or performance in the next six months? Only staff who believe their direct supervisors have been taking these actions consistently should choose N/A. Actions Supervisors Could Take to Increase Job Satisfaction Is supportive of my attempts to acquire additional training or professional development opportunities 3.81 Is willing to listen 3.77 Demonstrates fair and equal treatment 3.85 Gives timely recognition for job well done 3.67 Provides ongoing, constructive and timely feedback to identify areas of strengths as well as for improvement 3.21 Evaluates my performance against established goals 3.20 Is responsive to my work-related questions, requests, etc 3.39 Clearly defines scopes of job responsibilities 3.15 Establishes specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, time-based and stretch goals 3.01 Mean Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which their job satisfaction would increase if their supervisors start to take the above actions, with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 9

Actions to Increase Job Satisfaction by Employee Group Is supportive of my attempts to acquire additional training or professional development opportunities 3.88 3.80 Is willing to listen 3.83 3.75 Demonstrates fair and equal treatment 3.90 3.82 Gives timely recognition for job well done 3.84 3.58 Provides ongoing, constructive and timely feedback to identify areas of strengths as well as for improvement 3.39 3.11 Evaluates my performance against established goals 3.40 2.96 Is responsive to my work-related questions, requests, etc 3.42 3.43 Clearly defines scopes of job responsibilities 2.82 3.49 Establishes specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, time-based and stretch goals Civil Service Mean P&A Mean 3.14 2.93 Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which their job satisfaction would increase if their supervisors start to take the above actions, with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 10

Actions to Increase Job Satisfaction by Units Is supportive of my attempts to acquire additional training or professional development opportunities Is willing to listen Demonstrates fair and equal treatment 3.50 3.80 3.92 3.74 4.00 4.33 3.67 3.80 3.87 3.67 3.71 4.40 3.70 3.25 3.93 3.89 3.71 4.17 Gives timely recognition for job well done 3.00 3.67 3.56 3.71 3.71 4.17 Provides ongoing, constructive and timely feedback to identify areas of strengths as well as for improvement Evaluates my performance against established goals Is responsive to my work-related questions, requests, etc 2.43 2.50 2.40 3.36 3.33 3.29 3.36 3.17 3.18 3.80 3.21 3.23 3.25 3.89 4.00 3.50 3.33 3.14 Clearly defines scopes of job responsibilities 3.36 3.06 2.95 3.38 3.00 4.00 3.33 Establishes specific, measurable, 3.60 attainable, reasonable, time-based and 3.14 2.86 stretch goals 3.00 2.43 VPR Admin Office Mean OVPR-IT Mean OTC Mean SPA Mean RSPP Mean RIOP Mean 11

3) How significant would the following options be in making you feel recognized? Types of Employee Recognition Activities Cash rewards 3.58 Employee of the Month program Verbal appreciation individually Special training or professional development opportunities Thank-you card placed at your desk Recognition at team, unit or OVPR-wide meetings Letters of praise to recognize outstanding work mailed to family members E-mail letters of praise to recognize outstanding work copied to senior managers Invitations to Sr. Staff meetings 1.77 1.68 3.22 3.34 2.61 2.49 2.79 2.24 Coverage in OVPR newsletters or Website A unique trophy granted to the best performing Unit from the executive level Certificates of exceptional performance from the executive level Group/unit level appreciation events OVPR all staff appreciation events 1.97 1.71 2.18 2.61 2.09 Mean Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which their job satisfaction would increase if they receive the above recognition, with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 12

Types of Employee Recognition Activities by Employee Group Cash rewards Employee of the Month program Verbal appreciation individually Special training or professional development opportunities Thank-you card placed at your desk Recognition at team, unit or OVPR-wide meetings Letters of praise to recognize outstanding work mailed to family members E-mail letters of praise to recognize outstanding work copied to senior managers Invitations to Sr. Staff meetings Coverage in OVPR newsletters or Website A unique trophy granted to the best performing Unit from the executive level Certificates of exceptional performance from the executive level Group/unit level appreciation events OVPR all staff appreciation events Civil Service Mean 1.74 1.67 1.40 1.89 1.89 2.06 1.66 1.72 2.21 2.34 2.23 2.08 1.91 2.17 P&A Mean 2.77 2.39 2.51 2.50 2.98 2.67 2.62 2.58 3.31 3.22 3.45 3.26 Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which their job satisfaction would increase if they receive the above recognition, with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 3.54 3.53 13

Types of Employee Recognition Activities by Units Cash rewards Employee of the Month program Verbal appreciation individually Special training or professional development opportunities Thank-you card placed at your desk Recognition at team, unit or OVPR-wide meetings Letters of praise to recognize outstanding work mailed to family members E-mail letters of praise to recognize outstanding work copied to senior managers Invitations to Sr. Staff meetings Coverage in OVPR newsletters or Website A unique trophy granted to the best performing Unit from the executive level Certificates of exceptional performance from the executive level Group/unit level appreciation events OVPR all staff appreciation events 3.47 3.33 3.57 3.70 3.91 3.67 1.73 1.33 1.95 1.85 1.83 1.67 2.86 3.56 3.48 3.19 3.17 3.25 3.29 3.78 3.14 3.26 3.25 4.11 2.47 3.11 2.24 2.85 2.67 2.56 2.50 2.11 2.48 2.56 3.00 2.22 1.33 1.67 1.95 1.59 2.00 1.44 2.73 2.44 2.52 3.11 3.17 2.78 1.87 2.22 2.32 2.44 2.25 2.33 1.93 1.63 2.14 1.96 2.18 2.00 1.47 1.11 1.81 1.89 2.00 1.78 2.21 1.78 2.00 2.41 2.42 2.22 3.13 2.22 2.43 2.44 3.00 2.89 2.33 2.33 1.76 2.07 2.36 2.11 VPR Office Mean OVPR-IT Mean OTC Mean SPA Mean RSPP Mean RIOP Mean 14

4) How significant would the following types of flexible work arrangements be in increasing your job satisfaction? Only staff who already work on flexible work schedules or are required to work from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday by the nature of their jobs should choose N/A. Types of Flexible Work Arrangements Mean Teleworking/Telecommuting, which allows you to work entirely outside of the office 4.02 Flextime, which permits fluctuating starting and ending times during the workday 3.69 Compressed workweek such as four 10-hour days in one week with the fifth day off or nine hours every Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off 3.48 Mean Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which they think the above factors would increase their job satisfaction with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 15

Types of Flexible Work Arrangements by Employee Group Teleworking/Telecommuting, which allows you to work entirely outside of the office 4.12 4.00 Flextime, which permits fluctuating starting and ending times during the workday 3.58 3.81 Compressed workweek such as four 10-hour days in one week with the fifth day off or nine hours every Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off 3.33 3.69 Civil Service Mean P&A Mean Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which they think the above factors would increase their job satisfaction with N/A = Not Applicable, 1 = Not at all significant, 2 = Slightly significant, 3 = Somewhat significant, 4 = Very significant, and 5 = Extremely significant. 16

Types of Flexible Work Arrangements by Units Teleworking/Telecommuting, which allows you to work entirely outside of the office 3.46 4.44 3.90 4.05 4.33 4.71 Flextime, which permits fluctuating starting and ending times during the workday 3.67 4.00 3.42 3.32 4.67 4.57 Compressed workweek such as four 10-hour days in one week with the fifth day off or nine hours every Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off 3.36 3.83 3.58 3.14 4.33 3.43 VPR Admin Office Mean OVPR-IT Mean OTC Mean SPA Mean RSPP Mean RIOP Mean 17

5) Onboarding is the process of performing all the organization actions that support new hire assimilation. Thinking back when you were a new hire, what OVPR onboarding activities did you go through? Please check all that apply. New Employee Onboarding Activities Lunch with direct supervisor or hiring manager 6.3% 33.3% 60.4% Providing work immediately 13.5% 3.1% 83.3% Clearly explaining upward mobility such as promotional advancement opportunities 7.3% 17.7% 75.0% Clearly explaining performance objectives 9.4% 45.8% 44.8% Clearly explaining job responsibilities 4.2% 22.9% 72.9% Providing necessary tools and resources 5.2% 20.8% 74.0% Introducing new hires to other employees in the department 11.5% 1.0% 87.5% Teaching about Unit mission and strategy 12.5% 40.6% 46.9% Teaching about OVPR vision and strategy 18.8% 26.0% 55.2% Yes No Don't Recall 18

5.1) Below is a list of statements relating to the onboarding program you went through or should have had gone through. Please rate your level of agreement to the following statements. Level of Agreement on New Employee Onboarding Activities New hires should complete a postorientation survey in order to measure the effectiveness of the orientation or onboarding program and to continuously 3.73 New hires should be assigned to peer mentors or buddies 3.56 OVPR HR should track new hires' experience or satisfaction during the orientation or onboarding process 3.59 OVPR HR should be primarily responsible for conducting the orientation or onboarding program 2.89 OVPR Senior Management or the hiring manager should be primarily responsible for conducting the orientation or onboarding program 3.28 OVPR should initiate the onboarding process prior to the new hires' start date such as by mailing out welcome package(s) 3.72 I received accurate and complete information at orientation relating to benefits, policies, etc. 3.74 Fellow co-workers were helpful and willing to assist me in gaining the knowledge I needed to be effective 3.99 My transition to OVPR as a new employee met my expectations 3.48 Mean Respondents were asked to rank the extent to which they agreed with the above statements about onboarding activities, with 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, and 5 = Strongly agree. 19

6) Below is a list of statements relating to team building activities or social events for employees in different units within OVPR. Please rate your level of agreement to the following statements. Level of Agreement on Team Building Activities or Social Events I am willing to participate in team building or social events if they are conducted during business hours 5.3% 22.1% 72.6% I am willing to participate in team building or social events if they are conducted after business hours 27.4% 31.6% 41.1% I am not interested in knowing colleagues in other units 8.6% 19.4% 72.0% My work keeps me too busy to participate in team building or social networking opportunities 28.7% 28.7% 42.6% Team building or social events will help build professional networks that improve job efficiency and career development 12.6% 27.4% 60.0% Team building or social events should be promoted only within your unit rather than across OVPR 24.5% 36.2% 39.4% Team building or social events should be promoted across units within OVPR 14.9% 36.2% 48.9% Team building or social events will provide potential opportunity to establish crossfunctional collaboration 9.5% 25.3% 65.3% Team building or social events are great opportunities to know more about colleagues' work and life in other units 10.6% 25.5% 63.8% Team building or social events will contribute to a more cohesive work environment 10.5% 27.4% Agree Neutral Disagree 62.1% 20

7) Are you paid fairly within OVPR and competitively compared to similar positions across the University? Please select only one option. Internal Equity and External Competitiveness of Compensation I am not sure I am paid neither fairly nor competitively I am paid competitively but not fairly I am paid fairly but not competitively 2.1% 17.5% 21.6% 29.9% I am paid fairly and competitively Percentage of Respondents 28.9% Internal Equity and External Competitiveness by Employee Group I am not sure I am paid neither fairly nor competitively 8.1% 23.4% 29.7% 25.5% I am paid competitively but not fairly 0.0% 0.0% I am paid fairly but not competitively I am paid fairly and competitively 25.5% 21.6% 25.5% 40.5% Civil Service Percentage of Respondents P&A Percentage of Respondents 21

8) Did you ever experience or observe significant misconduct (violation of law or significant University policy) conducted by coworkers within OVPR? Significant Misconduct by Coworkers within OVPR Yes No 8.2% 77.3% Not Sure 13.4% Percentage of respondents who experienced or observed significant misconduct 22

Section C. Diversity Awareness 9) We are gathering information about views held by OVPR staff to determine how we can further support diversity in our office and ask whether you agree or disagree with the following statements about diversity. OVPR Staff Awareness of Diversity OVPR would benefit from additional diversity in its staff All OVPR staff who work with diverse people should be evaluated by the ability to respect I am aware OVPR has a goal of hiring women and people of color for P&A positions I would take the opportunities of diversity training if provided I feel comfortable working with people of a different race or ethnicity I feel comfortable working with GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) Diversity programs and goals are designed for the purpose of compliance Working with a more diverse group or team requires constant adaptation, which impedes Initiatives to promote diversity can contribute to higher retention rate of employees Initiatives to promote diversity can improve recruitment of new employees Initiatives to promote diversity can improve productivity Initiatives to promote diversity can increase creativity Initiatives to promote diversity can improve employee morale Initiatives to promote diversity can decrease interpersonal conflict among employees 7.2% 1.0% 3.1% 10.3% 5.2% 2.1% 8.2% 9.3% 6.2% 12.4% 8.2% 14.4% 10.3% 13.4% 39.2% 27.8% 30.9% 23.7% 39.2% 33.0% 25.8% 20.6% 33.0% 32.0% 26.8% 33.0% Initiatives to promote diversity can improve 26.8% organizational culture 9.3% Agree Neutral Disagree 44.3% 45.4% 44.3% 39.2% 53.6% 48.5% 40.2% 53.6% 49.5% 38.1% 51.5% 63.9% 62.9% 61.9% 71.1% 91.8% 88.7% 23