Portland State University
PA-12: Assessing Employee Satisfaction

October 2017: Link to survey was emailed to all Finance and Administration benefits-eligible employees (408) and it was taken by 77% of employees. The survey was available for 2 weeks.

Three themes emerged from the feedback provided through the FADM Employee Engagement process: Professional Development -What we learned: -----Opportunities for professional development are not equally distributed among FADM units. -----Opportunities are not equally distributed among employees within departments. -----Some employees feel that the demands of their jobs do not allow them to take time away from the office for professional development opportunities. -What we're doing -----Human Resources is available to help identify professional development opportunities for all employees. Visit HR's Training & Development page for training opportunities and ideas. ----Each member of the FADM leadership team has committed to helping employees take advantage of professional development opportunities. All employees are encouraged to talk with their manager about development opportunities they are interested in. ----A list of low-cost ideas has been added to the HR Training site to provide ideas for departments with limited development funds. ----FADM is committed to creating a workgroup to help identify and address inefficiencies in FADM processes that impact employees' workloads and contribute to the lack of time for professional development opportunities. Management Development -What we learned ----Managers need to improve their prioritization and communication skills. ----Employees would like more regular performance feedback, including goal-setting. ----Managers need to plan better to avoid frequent crisis management. -What we're doing ----Manager Training Series: Offered quarterly through Human Resources. As of summer 2016, 80 PSU managers have participated in this series, including 45 FADM managers. Other trainings, including those focused on communication and performance management, are offered periodically through HR and outside resources. ----Crucial Conversations: A training that focuses on building skills for having difficult conversations, was offered during summer 2016 and will continue to be offered throughout the year. ----Additional development opportunities for managers continue to be explored, including development of a next level manager training. ----Updating FADM job descriptions over the next year, with a focus on Unclassified/Unrepresented positions. As of August 2016, 66% of Unclassified/Unrepresented employees' job descriptions have been updated. Learn more about position descriptions through HR's Job Classification page. ----Increasing accountability for conducting performance evaluations on time. As of August 2016, 62% of FADM employees had received a performance evaluation in the previous 12 months. Check out HR's Performance Evaluation page for details on deadlines, forms, and best practices. ---Assessing the skills FADM managers need to succeed, and supporting opportunities for further developing those skills. Communication: -What we learned ----There is a lack of communication and opportunity for input, especially when changes are made. ----Employees would like more communication from the top and between departments. ----There is a lack of clarity on the goals & priorities of FADM and of individual departments. -What we're doing ----More staff meet-ups ----Increased leadership availability for departmental meetings ----Better collection and processing of employee input ----Improvements to FADM's web presence