University of Florida
PA-12: Assessing Employee Satisfaction

Members of the University of Florida formed the President's Council on Diversity Climate Study Working Group (CSWG) in 2015. The CSWG was composed of faculty, staff and administrators. Ultimately, UF contracted with Rank & Associations (R&A) to conduct a campus-wide study entitled "University of Florida Faculty and Staff Climate Survey". Data gathered via reviews of relevant UF literature and a campus-wide survey focused on the experiences and perceptions of various constituent groups. The survey contained 79 items (17 qualitative and 62 quantitative) and was available via a secure online portal from October 27 to November 27, 2015. Confidential paper surveys were distributed to those individuals who did not have access to an Internet-connected computer or who preferred a paper survey. 36% of UF Faculty and staff completed the survey. http://president.ufl.edu/media/presidentufledu/documents/University-of-Florida-Final-Report.pdf

Based on discussions and feedback received since the survey results were released in June of 2016, the Climate Survey Working Group has identified three areas on which to focus along with associated action items that it will begin to address with campus stakeholders in the coming months: Inclusiveness Identify and share best practices designed to create a more inclusive environment already in place at UF Launch a robust professional development program to address, among other topics: unconscious and implicit bias, micro-aggressions and affirmations, bullying and civility Increase staff members’ visibility on the university’s home page to highlight their accomplishments/contributions Professional Advancement Map current jobs to a career framework to help identify how staff may advance at UF Introduce an aligned and contemporary approach to performance management that focuses on fostering high performance Respect Expand the university’s ombuds program to include staff for improved problem-solving Introduce an onboarding process for leaders that conveys ways to model and encourage a respectful and inclusive environment Invite experts to help us learn from and explore conflict/mediation approaches used at other institutions Additionally, another short-term priority identified through UFHR’s strategic planning process further supports feedback received from the climate survey and forum debriefs: Modernize UF’s leave program to be more responsive to faculty and staff needs. A UF cabinet-level work group also will soon be making recommendations about what type of organizational structure would be helpful to support diversity and inclusion. As promised, the Office of Institutional Planning and Research has also created an online tool for colleges to peer into the data more closely than they were able to in the high-level report. The UF Climate Survey Tool is a companion to the UF Climate Survey full report. It has five parts following the structure of the survey. Open-ended questions are not shown.