Virginia Tech
PAE-12: Employee Satisfaction Evaluation

In 2009, Human Resources engaged the Virginia Tech Center for Survey Research to develop and administer the university’s employee climate survey to 5,449 administrative and professional faculty, research faculty, and staff employees. Teaching faculty were not surveyed because they had been recently surveyed in 2008. The survey included approximately 80 questions covering seven categories: resources, diversity, principles of community, communication, co-workers, leadership, and supervision.

The survey process was repeated in 2011 and included all salaried staff, administrative/professional, research, and instructional faculty. The response rate in 2011 was 46%, with 3,211 employees responding. Two free form comment sections were included and approximately 1,300 comments were received.

The survey was repeated in 2013, with 3,112 employees responding and a 42% response rate. We received approximately 1,200 free form comments.

Each time we conduct the survey, we share the results widely. (1) Human Resources, along with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, meets with senior management to discuss findings for their administrative and academic units; (2) university-wide results are shared with the broader university community; and (3) the Chief Human Resource Officer makes presentations and facilitates discussions with various university groups, including faculty and staff governance committees.

The survey analysis in 2009 and 2011 provided summary data for each senior management area, and detailed data by functional unit for only the four largest senior management areas. For the first time in 2013, we provided data for every single department on the campus so our deans and vice presidents received a much more comprehensive view of their climate results on a unit by unit basis. As we visited with every single vice president and dean individually and shared their detailed results, we had the best conversations to date about what they could do to improve their results in 2015.

We do the survey every 2 years. Doing an employee satisfaction survey one time is like taking your temperature, finding out you have a fever, and doing nothing about it. To make progress on employee satisfaction, organizations must conduct regular assessments and take action based on the results.

Go to http://www.hr.vt.edu/great-place-to-work/culture-community/our-vt/, then to Past Sessions, to the February 26, 2014 session to watch a webinar about our results. You will need Abode Connect.