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NC State University2008 Staff Well-Being Survey

Highlights from Overall ResultsA Presentation to the Staff Senate

Nancy Whelchel, Ph.D

University Planning and Analysis

September 3, 2008

http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/survey/staff/presentations/NCSU.StaffSurvey08.StaffSenate.Sept3_08.ppt

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Overview of Presentation

• Some background information• Reports available online • Some results

– On the positive side…– Some things to think about…

• Discussion

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Survey PopulationIn general, has Staff Senate representation

NO Sampling: ALL are includedFinal Population = 5,841

Include:• SPA• EPA Professional• Librarians• Extension staff• Permanent • Time-limited• 0.5 FTE or higher• Employed at NCSU for

6+ months by start of survey (e.g., non-probationary)

Exclude:• 3D List members • Post-docs• Graduate Teaching &

Research Assistants

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Voluntary & Confidential Survey

– Staff were NOT required to participate– Staff were given time during normal working hours

to participate– Only UPA had access to population and

respondent information– Individual results are not available to others

(with the exception of comments from open-end questions)

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Response Rates, etc.

• 56% (3,243 of 5,841 staff) participated – 2,828 Web– 377 Paper (English)– 38 Paper (Hispanic)

• Respondent demographics generally mirror those of the population as a whole (e.g., division, # years employed, race/ethnicity)

• Average time to complete online survey: 41 minutes• 85% of those doing online survey completed all

sections

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Questionnaire TopicsAbout 300 questions related to:

• Overall Satisfaction & Engagement

• Work Activities • Working Relationships • Leadership &

Supervision• Support & Professional

Development• Performance Evaluation

• Salary & Benefits• Campus Climate and

Diversity/Multiculturalism• Vision and Direction • Work/Life Balance• Campus Infrastructure &

Physical Environment• Campus Recreational &

Cultural Activities• Demographics

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Online Reportshttp://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/survey/staff/

• Introduction, Research Methods, and Response Rates• Questionnaire (with overall results)• Executive Summary (overall results)• Responses broken down by:*

– Division/College [N=18]– Non-academic units with 50 or more staff in survey population [N=36]– Supervisory status– EPA vs SPA– Occupational activity code– # years at NC State– Gender– Race/ethnicity– Age

* Requires Unity ID and password to access

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Online Reportshttp://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/survey/staff/

Sharing your feedback*• On results (e.g., interpretations, concerns, surprises)• Recommendations• Suggestions for additional analyses, reports, etc.

* Requires Unity ID and password to access

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Results:How to Interpret?

Everything is relative!Suggestions for what to look for:

– Do responses/ratings meet pre-defined expectations and goals?

(e.g., % giving a positive rating)– How do responses/ratings for individual items compare to each

other?– How do responses/ratings from one group of respondents

compare to another? – (How have ratings changed over time?)

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Overall Satisfaction & Engagement:On the positive side…

A large majority of NC State staff:• Are proud to say they work at NC State (95%)• Are satisfied at NC State (89%)• Would recommend their department as a good place to work

(86%)• Look forward to coming to work (87%)• At least sometimes voluntarily put in extra work because they like

what they do (91%)• Feel like they

– make a difference here (89%)– fit in (87%)– are valued (84%)

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Overall Satisfaction & Engagement:Something to think about…

A sizable number of NC State staff:• Took at least one day off in the past year simply

because they did not feel like coming to work (33%)– But only 6% said they did so more than once or twice

• Applied for a different job at NC State within the past year or two (27%)

• At least somewhat seriously considered leaving NC State for reasons other than retirement (24%)

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Co-Workers:On the positive side…

The majority of NC State staff:• Like the people with whom they work most closely (96%)• Say members of their work unit

– Understand and know how to do their jobs (97%)– Are hardworking (93%)– Get along and enjoy working together (92%)– Treat each other with respect (90%)– Share helpful ideas and information (88%)

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Co-Workers:Something to think about…

Staff cite “other staff” as one of the most common producers of stress, with at least ‘some’ stress caused by:– Other staff in the work unit (44%)– Other (non-supervisee) staff in the department

(36%)– Supervisees (34%)

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Supervisors: On the positive side…

The majority of NC State staff:• Rate the relationship between staff in their work unit

and the supervisor as “excellent” (37%) or “good” (44%)• Rate supervisors as “excellent” or “good” on

– Being supportive when personal issues arise (85%)– Being approachable and easy to talk to (82%)– Being available when needed (80%)– Listening to staff in the work unit (80%)

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Supervisors: Opportunities for improvement…

The majority of NC State staff believe:– Staff management styles and expectations for job performance

vary greatly in their department (78%)

A sizable number of staff rate their supervisor as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ for:– Resolving internal conflicts (34%)– Setting short- and long-term goals (29%)– Setting clear priorities (28%)– Not showing favoritism (27%)– Appropriately distributing work assignments (25%)

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Workload:On the positive side…

The majority of staff are satisfied with:• The actual tasks/assignments they are asked to do

(94%)• The amount of work they are asked to do (85%)• The amount of time they are typically given to complete

an assignment (88%)

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Workload:Opportunities for Improvement…

• 56% of staff have experienced ‘a great deal’ or ‘some’ stress over the past couple of years from their workload

• 44% say they are asked to do more work than they expected based on their job description

• 44% say they need additional qualified people in their work unit

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Performance Evaluation:On the positive side…

The majority of NC State staff:• Understand the process used to evaluation their

performance (76%)• Believe the process is fair and reasonable (80%)• Believe they have at least some input on their

Appraisal/review (77%)• Believe their performance reviews

– Are appropriately based on their job description/work plan (88%)

– Are helpful in identifying what they need to improve on (87%)– Are helpful in identifying what they are doing well (86%)– Reflect how well they think they are doing (81%)

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Performance Evaluation:Opportunities for improvement…

A sizable number of staff do NOT believe• Their Annual Appraisal or performance review is helpful

to their– career development (34%)– career planning (38%)

• The numeric ratings on Annual Appraisals are useful (22%)

• Career banding has helped them better understand the job competencies (57%)

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Pay and Compensation:On the positive side…

A majority of staff – Know how to find information about benefits (93%)– Can make informed decisions about their benefits

based on available information (93%)– Believe benefits are reasonably competitive with

other employers for whom they could work• Voluntary benefits program (86%)• Retirement contributions (76%)• Healthcare benefits (73%)

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Pay and Compensation:Something to think about…

A sizable number of staff do NOT think their salary is reasonably competitive with those doing the same or similar work– In their department (32%)– In their division/college (42%)– In other NC State divisions/colleges (50%)– At other universities (61%)– For other Raleigh-area employers (SPA only) (75%)– In the private sector (EPA only) (80%)

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A few random findings:On the positive side…

Overall, staff give generally positive ratings to issues related to:– Having what they need to do their jobs – Campus infrastructure– Campus safety– Diversity/multiculturalism

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A few random findings:Something to think about…

Overall, staff are less positive about:– Incentives, recognition, and rewards– Opportunities for professional development – Quality of relations between staff and upper

administration (division/college & NC State)– Communication between staff and upper

administration (division/college & NC State)– Understanding how resources are allocated– Dining options on campus– Parking– Effectiveness of Staff Senate

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Questions? Suggestions? Comments?

Requests for Special Presentations &/or Reports?

Email: nancy_whelchel@ncsu.edu

Phone: 515-4184