University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PA-10: Assessing Employee Satisfaction

UNC conducted a university-wide employee survey on organizational effectiveness in order to create a more productive and satisfying work environment. The response to the 2013 survey resulted in over 3,000 submissions, a strong response rate of 28 percent from more than 11,000 faculty and staff.

The 2013 campus-wide employee satisfaction survey asked most of the same questions as the 2010 survey so that changes could be tracked over time. The faculty job satisfaction survey (COACHE) was designed by Harvard University and has been used by UNC's peers and other campuses in the UNC System. Both of the surveys were administered via the web with invitations and reminders sent via email.

The employee survey will be reviewed and suggested changes evaluated for potential implementation by the Carolina Counts program. The Chancellor initiated Carolina Counts to carry out key recommendations resulting from an efficiency and effectiveness assessment conducted in 2009. Recommendations focused on streamlining campus operations; implementing simpler, more responsive systems and processes; reducing bureaucracy; and creating a more satisfying work environment.

In general, campus views of the University’s vision, and the people and processes in place to fulfill it, were more positive in 2013 than in 2010. Three-fourths of employees believe that Carolina has both a compelling vision and the talent needed for future success. Moreover, 79 percent of employees would recommend Carolina as a place to work, and 66 percent believe it is a highly effective organization.

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The results of the campus-wide employee survey were summarized and shared with employees through email announcements, with more detailed statistics made available on the University website. The Chancellor, vice chancellors, and various groups on campus discussed the findings, which suggested that the University had made improvements in the areas of leadership, clarity of communications, decision-making, and staff development since the first administration of the survey in 2010.

The Carolina Counts program encompasses the entire operational improvement initiative at UNC. The first phase of this initiative was the Diagnostic phase resulting in the consultant report that was presented to the university community. The current phase is Analysis and Design.

The analysis and design phase is comprised of 10 initiatives or improvement areas. Each improvement area is led by a champion. There are projects underway to achieve the targets identified in each area. Each project team is comprised of a group of faculty, staff, or administrators as appropriate, and led by a project team leader.

Under the leadership of the project leader, the teams research opportunities, analyze processes or policy options and cost implications, evaluate alternative scenarios, define measurements, estimate potential savings, and propose a solutions. The champion approves the solution and assigns it to an implementation team to put the recommendation in action.
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