The 2018 Staff Survey will open on Monday 17 September, giving all colleagues the opportunity to express views across a wide range of themes.

There is a new format which is designed to produce more focussed information that will help the University create a great working environment for all staff and students. Following feedback from previous exercises the 2018 survey will also be shorter, meaning it will take less time to complete.

It is important to stress that as with previous exercises this is an anonymous exercise and no-one in the University will be allowed access to the raw data or any of the individual questionnaires.

A lot has happened since the 2016 survey. Here are just a few of the things that have changed in many areas of the University:

  • Two-way communication was highlighted as vital and local newsletters have either been created or recreated along with more specific webpages, digital signage, social media accounts and other means of facilitating dialogue.
  • A variety of innovative approaches have been taken to getting staff input and ideas including ways to improve employee participation.
  • ‘Town hall’ events, again aimed at offering a chance for colleagues to express their views and to build dialogue have been held.
  • The way in which new staff are inducted was raised, so we have introduced and refined a range of innovative ‘welcome events’ for new colleagues to the University.
  • There has been an increase in team ‘away-days’, many of which have featured senior leaders or speakers from other units/departments.
  • The 2016 survey also highlighted whether enough was being done to support career progression. Promotions workshops have been introduced to support staff when considering the next steps in their professional development.
  • Personal as well as professional support was also raised and the University now runs many more sessions on health and wellbeing topics such as stress awareness, mindfulness, sedentary working and others
  • Attention has also been given to running events or initiatives aimed at supporting parents and carers, recognising that colleagues often have external issues to deal with.
  • We have also looked to create and offer lunchtime events such as yoga, crafts or massage, to aid health and wellbeing as well as general networking.

The forthcoming staff survey was one of the focus areas earlier this week at an “away day” meeting for engagement leads across the University.

Engagement leads have been involved in supporting the staff survey in the past, but their role will in future involve supporting “World Class Glasgow, the University’s transformation programme.
Chris Green, Chief Transformation Officer, outlined at the meeting his plans to “win hearts and minds”.

Robert Garnish, Director of Commercial Services, talked about the John Lewis Partnership, where he worked before joining the University, focusing particularly on how John Lewis engages with its “partners” and how it delivers its reward and recognition programme.

“Engagement and the role of the Engagement Lead” was the topic of a presentation by Meghan Walsh, Associate Director of ORC International, the external company which will be delivering the University’s staff survey this year.

Further information on the staff survey will follow in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the University really wants your ideas and feedback on what works (or doesn’t work). Email haveyoursay@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 5 September 2018

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