This year’s staff survey was run during May and attracted more contributions than any previous survey. More than 4,000 people from every part of the University fed back their views - a 68% response rate. That's up from 60% two years ago and 33% in 2012.

Measures for job satisfaction and work/life balance have improved since the last survey, with 91% saying the University is a good place to work and that their work is enjoyable. For the first time, a majority of staff also say they feel valued by the University.

The figures are still being analysed by each College, School, Research Institute and University Service as well as at University level. Each unit will consider and share their own results and work on their responses and the improvements they wish to deliver.

To complement the Staff Survey, the University has also carried out a Cultural Diagnostic Survey, which was completed by a 10% sample of staff across the University. This type of survey allows organisations to assess strengths and weaknesses across a host of activities, then benchmarks them against thousands of other organisations around the world. Those results too are now being shared within each unit, and will assist us all in considering what changes we might like to see.

Strategy

Change for the better

Professor Neal Juster and Christine Barr have welcomed the positive messages coming out of the 2016 Staff Survey that reflect progress towards some of the University’s key strategic goals.

The University’s Inspiring People: Changing the World strategy was the result of more than 100 hundred hours of consultation events, reaching more than 1,000 members of staff. The strategy sets out our vision to be a world-class, world-changing university - an ambition that it was acknowledged would require a step-change in our culture and the way we work.

Staff and students identified a number of actions that could be taken to move the University closer to our vision during the strategy consultation exercise. Both the Cultural Diagnostic Survey and the Staff Survey results suggest that staff are aligned with a common understanding of our strategic goals. 

Inspiring Change website

The newly created Inspiring Change website will share updates on the strategy and showcase positive examples of change and innovation happening across the University – sharing the steps, both big and small, along our path to fulfilling our world-class, world-changing ambitions.

The site also offer the opportunity for all staff to provide further feedback on the survey results, change activities and innovations across the University, to maintain an on-going conversation.

The full University level Staff Survey results can be found on the new Inspiring Change website.

Visit the Inspiring Change website

First published: 16 September 2016

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