Portland State University
PA-12: Assessing Employee Satisfaction

November 2016: Link to survey was emailed to all Finance and Administration benefits-eligible employees (393) and it was taken by 78% of employees. The survey was available for 2 weeks.

FADM shared the results with individual departments, and departments are discussing in more detail the results and making recommendations. The FADM leadership team will review result and recommendations and establish a plan moving forward. Last year the same survey was taken and resulted in the following outcomes:

FADM Leadership reviewed survey results and decided to gather more information from employees using three different methods:

Follow-up Survey: In October 2015, a survey was emailed to employees to gather further feedback. Employees were asked what is currently working for them and what changes they would like to see regarding four questions from the original survey:
I know whatís expected of me at work.
At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
At work, my opinions seem to count.
This last year, Iíve had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
Department meetings: During Fall 2015, department and division managers led discussions about the survey and gathered feedback about employeesí experience in their department.
Focus Groups: In November and December 2015, voluntary focus groups were conducted using a third-party facilitator. These groups were used to gather feedback anonymously from employees. Discussions were focused on the same four questions as the follow up survey (listed above).
February 2016: FADM leadership decided on actions to be taken based on the feedback received and created the FADM Employee Engagement page to communicate the feedback received and next steps.

Three main themes came out of the feedback provided through the FADM Employee Engagement process. Below is a summary of those themes, and the actions planned for the next year.

Professional Development, What we heard:

Want more professional development opportunities.
Opportunities are not evenly distributed among FADM units.
Process improvement could free up time for professional development.

What we're doing

Creating tools & training for managers to develop opportunities for employees.
Creating work group to focus on FADM process changes.
Committment by each FADM department to provide professional development opportunities for their employees.

Communication & Input, What we heard:

Lack of communication and opportunity for input, especially when changes are made.
Need more communication from the top and between departments.
Lack of clarity on goals & priorities of FADM and individual departments.

What we're doing

Anonymous Suggestion Box to gather feedback.
Periodic meetings with departments to provide information and gather input.
Identifying and celebrating improvements made in the last year.

Management Development, What we heard:

Need improvement in communication and prioritization skills of managers.
Would like more regular performance feedback, including goal-setting.
Would like managers to plan better to avoid frequent crisis management.

What we're doing

Managers will be attending a training series provided by HR.
Creating opportunities for managers to network and learn from other managers.
Updating FADM job descriptions over the next year.
Increasing accountability for conducting performance evaluations on time.
Creating development plans for FADM managers to assess and support skills and opportunities for improvement.