Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 61.51
Liaison Karen Eckert, Ph.D.
Submission Date March 5, 2021
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Principia College
PA-12: Assessing Employee Satisfaction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Roz Hibbs
Head
Institutional Research
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution conducted a survey or other evaluation that allows for anonymous feedback to measure employee satisfaction and engagement during the previous three years?:
Yes

Percentage of employees (staff and faculty) assessed, directly or by representative sample (0-100):
100

A brief description of the institution’s methodology for evaluating employee satisfaction and engagement:

In addition to annual faculty and staff evaluation meetings (with supervisors/ Deans), during which time any workplace issue can be raised, standardized surveys are distributed at regular intervals (e.g., biannual HERI survey to faculty, most recently in 2020). A HEDS COVID survey (S'20, F'20) was distributed to both faculty and staff. Other assessment outreach include a triannual Employee Opinion and Engagement Survey (most recently in 2018).

Importantly, ALL feedback is thoughtfully analysed by trained social science researchers, including the Director of Institutional Research, Dean of Academics, Dean of Students, and others, as relevant. Excepting any protected information, the analysis is returned to the community to support ongoing discussions.

In additional to standardized surveys, the College President hosts a biweekly all-campus Town Hall featuring issues du jour, including communication, admissions, budgeting, assessment, governance, and so on. These Town Halls are almost always followed by a short survey (faculty, staff, students) soliciting feedback.

Later this month (March 2021), our first comprehensive survey on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be released (faculty, staff, students) by a multidisciplinary task force working on enhancing communication and feedback on these issues.


A brief description of the mechanism(s) by which the institution addresses issues raised by the evaluation (including examples from the previous three years):

Institutional Research Officer presents survey analysis to Faculty and Staff Senate, senior administration/Cabinet, and the Board of Trustees. Employee focus groups, task forces, and committees (regular or ad hoc) also provide insight into survey results and inform administrative action items for continuous improvement.

Human Resources serves as a continuous performance improvement resource to managers and employees. In 2017 a new Communication and Evaluation program was developed with employee input. The program provides a framework for frequent ‘check-ins’ between managers and employees, real-time continuous feedback, and the ability to set and track individual goals that align with both organizational objectives and individual career satisfaction. After a successful multi-department pilot, the program was made available to all non-teaching employees. In cases where a need for improved performance is identified, HR provides individual counseling and coaching to facilitate progress.

In February HR conducted the 2018 Employee Opinion and Engagement Survey. Administered by a third party, this survey measures employee satisfaction in the areas of Rewards, Engagement, Atmosphere, and [institutional] Direction and allows Principia to compare its results with other organizations across the U.S. Principia employees were above and tied with the national norm in Rewards and Direction, respectively, and just one point below the national norm in Atmosphere and Engagement.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Principia College is dedicated to supporting employee success. This includes providing professional development and training opportunities to grow employee job knowledge and skill. Over the past three years, over 120 faculty, coaches, and staff received financial support for these activities from three funds dedicated to that purpose. This is in addition to department-funded training.


Principia College is dedicated to supporting employee success. This includes providing professional development and training opportunities to grow employee job knowledge and skill. Over the past three years, over 120 faculty, coaches, and staff received financial support for these activities from three funds dedicated to that purpose. This is in addition to department-funded training.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.