University of Colorado Colorado Springs
PA-13: Assessing Employee Satisfaction

The Human Resources Employee Relations and Employee Experience team conducted the department survey in August 2020. It was an anonymous paper survey returned directly to the HR Manager. Both the 2018 department survey and 2020 work unit survey results were reported to the leadership team and then to department/unit participants. Goals were established to continue efforts to improve management and culture initiatives to improve workplace engagement and morale.

In September 2018, a culture/engagement survey was conducted within a large department with results indicating areas for improvement in department operations and leadership initiatives. There were 104 participants out of 109 individuals contacted, indicating a 95% participation rate. In August 2020, a similar survey was conducted by Human Resources within a single unit of the same department. 37 surveys were distributed and 22 were returned, resulting in a 59% response rate, demonstrating that employees have genuine concerns about the health of the work unit and are willing to contribute to improvement efforts.

Any department surveys conducted by Human Resources are shared with leadership with recommendations and assistance provided to continue to engage staff. The August 2020 results indicated areas of concern that include lack of leadership presence, lack of engaging interactions amongst all levels of staff, and lack of trusted relationships. Leadership responded by participating in regularly scheduled meetings to help build rapport and to allow one-on-one exchange of information that was reportedly lacking. The goal of increased leadership/management presence is to positively impact the organization and lead to increased satisfaction amongst all members of the team while helping them move toward a more positive, engaging workplace culture. HR will be providing management training to the leadership team to assist with improving workplace dynamics and staff engagement.