2014 STAFF
WELL-BEING
SURVEY
RESULTS SUMMARY
PRESENTATION TO
STAFF SENATE
JANUARY 7, 2015
NANCY WHELCHEL,
OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND PLANNING
Overview




Survey administration
Most and least favorably rated areas overall
Trends: 2014 vs 2008 SWBS overall results
Focus on:


Overall satisfaction
Work activities
(tasks, resources, co-workers, supervisors, workload, work/life
balance)



Professional development
Performance reviews
Staff support/representation
 More information & next steps
Survey Administration
When & How?
 Financial support
 VC Finance and Business
 When
 April 15 - June 10, 2014
 How
 Online
 Paper copies distributed to those in skilled crafts
and service maintenance
 Spanish version of paper surveys
What?
About 250 items related to:
 Overall Satisfaction &
 Leadership &






Engagement
Campus Climate and
Diversity/Multiculturalism
Work Activities
Working Relationships
Support & Professional
Development
Performance Evaluation





Supervision
Salary & Benefits
Vision and Direction
Work/Life Balance
Campus Infrastructure &
Physical Environment
Campus Recreational &
Cultural Activities
Demographics
Who?
 Permanent and time-limited
 Non-instructional
 Non-administrative employees (ES1 &
ES2)
 ≥ 0.5 FTE
 Employed at least 6 months at time of
survey
 No students, post-docs
Response Rates
 54% 3,126 of 5,860 eligible employees
participated
 Females slightly overrepresented
 Other groups (i.e., race, age, EPA/SPA,
on-campus vs. off-campus, # of years
employed) closely mirror survey
population
Response Rate
(by group)
Population
N
Overall
Population
%
5,860
Respondent Respondent
N
%
3,162
Response
Rate
54.0%
Gender
Male
2,589
44.2%
1,214
38.4%
46.9%
Female
3,271
55.8%
1,948
61.6%
61.6%
International
78
1.3%
28
0.9%
35.9%
Unknown
248
4.2%
148
4.7%
59.7%
Hispanic
213
3.6%
97
3.1%
45.6%
Native American
22
0.4%
10
0.3%
45.5%
Asian American
185
3.2%
81
2.6%
43.8%
Black / African American
919
15.7%
437
13.8%
47.6%
5
0.0%
4
0.1%
80.0%
4,142
70.7%
2,332
73.8%
56.3%
48
0.8%
25
0.8%
52.1%
Race/Ethnicity
Pacific Islander
White
Multiracial/ethnic
Response Rate
(by group, cont.)
Population
N
Population
%
Respondent Respondent
N
%
Response
Rate
Under 35 yrs
1,374
23.4%
755
23.9%
55.0%
35-44 yrs
1,517
25.9%
781
24.7%
51.5%
45-54 yrs
1,612
27.5%
871
27.6%
54.0%
55 and over
1,357
23.1%
755
23.9%
55.6%
Less than 2 yrs
790
13.5%
459
14.8%
58.0%
2 to 4 yrs
833
14.2%
443
14.0%
53.2%
5 to 9 yrs
17
27.5%
876
27.7%
54.4%
10 to 14 yrs
1,128
19.2%
592
18.7%
52.5%
15 to 19 yrs
736
12.6%
390
12.3%
53.0%
20 or more yrs
764
13.0%
403
12.8%
52.8%
Age
Years at NCSU
Response Rate
(by group; cont.)
Population
N
Population
%
Respondent Respondent
N
%
Response
Rate
EPA
1,909
32.6%
1,033
32.7%
54.1%
SPA
3,951
67.4%
2,129
67.3%
53.9%
Administrative
19
0.3%
11
0.4%
57.9%
Instructional
236
4.0%
132
4.2%
55.9%
2,583
44.3%
1,419
45.1%
54.9%
826
14.2%
428
13.6%
51.8%
1,171
20.1%
711
22.6%
60.7%
Skilled Crafts
313
5.4%
165
5.2%
52.7%
Service/Maintenance
681
11.7%
283
9.0%
41.6%
On-campus
5,097
87.0%
2,742
86.7%
53.8%
Off-campus
763
13.0%
420
13.3%
55.0%
Classification
Occupation
EPA professional
Technical
Clerical
Location
Respondent Profile
 Spouse/partner works at NCSU: 8%
 Self/spouse is a protected veteran: 6%
 Has a qualifying disability: 2%
 Identifies as LGBQ: 5%
 Identifies as transgender: 0% (N=1)
 Non-native English speaker: 6%
Most and Least
Favorably Rated Areas
First: Understanding the Results…
 Responses for most items based on 4-point scale
 Strongly disagree  Strongly agree
 Very dissatisfied  Very satisfied
 Poor  Excellent
 All items (with a few exceptions) worded so,
e.g., ‘strongly agree’/’agree’ is a favorable or
positive rating
 Many items include a “don’t know” response
option

“Don’t know” responses excluded from analyses
presented here
First: Understanding the Results…
 Except when noted presentation focuses on
overall results

There are notable/important differences in responses by
various demographic groups (e.g., gender,
race/ethnicity) and by job characteristics (e.g., EPA vs
SPA)
Most Favorably Rated Areas
 Overall, areas receiving the most favorable
ratings include those related to





Work unit members
Understanding job expectations, having and knowing
how to use materials/tools for job
Importance of flexible hours and tuition waivers for
dependents
Importance of sustainability
University senior administration support for diversity
Most Favorably Rated Items
57%
Input on how accomplish work
37%
Univ sr admin promotes/supports diversity
59%
32%
Work unit members get along
59%
32%
Work unit members share info/ideas
60%
28%
Access to a computer at work
62%
35%
Know how to use materials/equipment for job
62%
36%
Work plan fits goals of department
62%
31%
Input on performance review (EPA)
63%
28%
Supervisor gives permission to attend events
63%
25%
66%
Importance of tuition waivers for dependents
28%
68%
Work unit members are hardworking
25%
Understanding of job expectations
71%
26%
Importance of flexible work hours
72%
26%
Work unit members know how to do jobs
73%
23%
76%
Importance of NCSU commitment to sustainability
0%
10%
20%
30%
23%
40%
50%
Very Favorable
60%
70%
80%
Somewhat Favorable
90%
100%
Least Favorably Rated Areas
 Overall, areas receiving the least favorable
ratings tended to relate to





Salary, recognition/rewards
Understanding how resources are distributed
Parking
Communication & quality of relations between staff and
senior leaders
Annual Appraisals / performance reviews being helpful to
career planning
Least Favorably Rated Items
Quality of relations between staff and NCSU sr admin
Understanding of resource distribution to own department
Communication between staff and department sr admin
Helpfullness of performance reviews to career planning (EPA)
Availability of parking
Salary compared to others in own department
Dept sr admin resolving internal conflicts in work unit
Supervisor publically appreciating your work
Helpfullness of Annual Appraisals to career planning (SPA)
Communication between staff and col/div sr admin
Communication between staff and NCSU sr admin
Compensation
Salary compated to others in own college/division
Incentives/recognition/rewards from department
Salary compared to other NCSU colleges/divisions
Understanding of resource distribution in college/division
Understanding of resource distribution at NCSU
Salary compared to other universities
Cost of parking
Salary compared to other Raleigh emps
11%
29%
13%
27%
13%
27%
5%
37%
18%
24%
18%
24%
19%
23%
21%
22%
8%
36%
16%
30%
14%
34%
14%
36%
20%
30%
25%
32%
24%
35%
25%
38%
29%
38%
32%
36%
35%
36%
43%
36%
0%
10%
20%
30%
Very Negative
40%
50%
60%
> 50%
70%
Somewhat Negative
80%
90%
Trends: 2014 vs 2008 SWBS
Trends: Areas of Improvement
 Several areas were rated more favorably by
staff overall in the 2014 SWBS than they were in
the 2008 SWBS
Trends: Areas of Improvement
(Percent giving a favorable response)
Understanding of resource allocation to department
54%
6%
Wolfline bus
84%
Stress from workload
44%
6%
6%
Competitiveness of retirement contributions
76%
Availability of parking
51%
7%
7%
Overall campus safety
85%
Dining options on campus
67%
Amount of "green space" on campus
8%
8%
81%
Availability of informal places to relax on campus
63%
Helpfulness of Annual Appraisals for career development (SPA)
64%
0%
12%
14%
23%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
% in 2008
%Pt increase in 2014
Trends: Areas in Decline
 Many (many) areas were rated less favorably by
staff overall in the 2014 SWBS than they were in
the 2008 SWBS
Trends: Areas in Decline
(Percent giving an unfavorable response)
Department retaining effective/productive staff
Communication between staff and col/dept sr admin
Financial support for prof dev / training opportunities
Work-related demands
Communication between staff and univ sr admin
Relations between staff and col/div sr admin
Relations between staff and NCSU sr admin
Opportunities for leadership development
Opps to improve skills to increase chances for better job
Salary compared to other universities
Appropriate N people in work unit to do expected work
Perf Reviews helpfulness to career development (EPA)
Salary compared to others in own college/division
Helpfullness of Annual Appraisals to career planning (SPA)
Salary compared to other NCSU coleges/divisions
Salary compared to others in own department
Incentives/recognition/rewards from department
Compensation
More or less satisfied at NCSU than 3yrs ago
29%
5%
41%
26%
21%
5%
5%
5%
44%
32%
34%
25%
25%
5%
6%
6%
6%
6%
61%
8%
45%
8%
29%
8%
42%
34%
50%
32%
48%
38%
22%
12%
0%
10%
20%
% in 2008
30%
8%
8%
8%
9%
10%
11%
40%
50%
%Pt increase in 2014
60%
70%
80%
Overall Satisfaction
Overall Satisfaction Working at NC State
 Overall satisfaction among SPAs & EPAs is high
 The number saying “very satisfied” has declined slightly
 SPAs are slightly more likely than EPAs to be dissatisfied
EPA
2008
33%
SPA
56%
28%
EPA
60%
2014
26%
SPA
62%
24%
0%
10%
8% 1%
60%
20%
30%
Very satisfied
40%
50%
Satisfied
10%
2%
10%
2%
14%
60%
Dissatisfied
70%
80%
90%
Very dissatisfied
2%
100%
Satisfaction Compared to Recent Years
 SPAs are slightly more likely than EPAs to be “a lot more
satisfied now” than in recent years
 Both SPAs and EPAs are more likely in 2014 than in 2008 to
report being “less satisfied now” than in recent years
EPA
34%
33%
15%
4%
2008
15%
SPA
19%
EPA
31%
23%
16%
34%
7%
25%
8%
2014
10%
27%
SPA
14%
0%
21%
10%
20%
31%
30%
A lot more satisfied now
About the same
A lot less satisfied now
40%
50%
24%
60%
70%
80%
Somewhat more satisfied now
Somewhat less satisfied now
10%
90%
100%
Overall Satisfaction:
Various Indicators
 Large majorities of staff overall indicate satisfaction with
their jobs at NC State in a number of ways

SPAs are consistently less likely than EPAs to “strongly agree”
Proud to work at NCSU
52%
Like people in work unit
43%
47%
49%
Feel like make a difference
37%
Feel like "fit" in dept
37%
49%
Work give sense of purpose
35%
53%
Would recommend dept as place to work
33%
Find work enjoyable
31%
Feel valued in dept
31%
Look forward to work
30%
0%
52%
50%
57%
50%
55%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Strongly agree
Agree
Changing Jobs at NC State
Almost 30% of SPAs and
20% of EPAs applied for
a different job at NCSU
within the past 2 years,
with 11% and 8%,
respectively, actually
changing jobs
 Reasons for wanting to
change jobs?

Advancement
SPA: 57%
 EPA: 61%


Better work environment
SPA: 17%
 EPA: 11%

Leaving NC State
 17% have very seriously considered leaving NC
State in the past year or two (excluding for
retirement) - - slightly more than the number
saying so in 2008
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
No-Did not consider
41%
50%
Yes-Considered but not
very seriously
21%
16%
20%
20%
17%
14%
2014
2008
Yes-Somewhat seriously
considered
Yes -Very seriously
considered
Why Consider Leaving?
 Those who had “very seriously” or “somewhat
seriously” considered leaving NC State were
asked to describe why. (N overall comments=1,049)
 Responses were coded into 15 broad themes,
each with a number of sub-themes.

(Each comment could be coded into any number of
themes and/or sub-themes)
Why Consider Leaving?
(Staff Overall)
Themes
% of respondents mentioning
Salary/Benefits
Work Unit Environment
Professional development / Career…
Appreciation/Respect
15%
Personal
11%
Workload
10%
Mismatch w/ Skills/Interests
9%
Resources / Support
9%
University Administration/Management
7%
Mission/Direction
6%
Job Security
5%
Bureaucracy
4%
Work / Life Balance
2%
Diversity
1%
Other
3%
0%
10%
20%
48%
31%
26%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Most and Least Positive Aspects
Working at NC State
 Staff were asked to comment in their own words
on
“When you think about your own personal experiences at NC
State University, what would you say are the most positive
aspects of being a staff member here?”
(N overall comments = 1,810)
 “What do you think are the most significant changes that should
be made at NC State University to improve or enhance the
quality of your work life here?”
(N overall comments = 1,731)


Responses to each were coded in a number of themes and
sub-themes

Each comment could be coded into any number of themes
and/or sub-themes
Least Positive Aspects of Working at NC State
(Staff Overall)
IMPROVEMENTS: TOP THEMES
(≥10% of comments mention)
Theme
Compensation & Benefits
Workload
Colleagues
Support
Professional Development
College/Dept. Leadership
Employee treatment
Recruitment/Retention
Culture/Climate
Infrastructure
Recreation
Mission
Management/Administration
Transportation/Parking
Performance Review
Work-Life Balance
Diversity
Communication
Research
Extension/Engagement/Outreach
Leadership: Executive Officers
Leadership: Supervisor
Location
# of respondents mentioning
% of total
comments
55%
30%
29%
26%
22%
22%
21%
21%
20%
19%
17%
16%
15%
14%
14%
13%
12%
12%
11%
11%
11%
10%
10%
Compensation and Benefits
Workload
Colleagues
Support
Professional Development
College/Dept. Leadership
Employee Treatment
Recruitment/Retention
Culture/Climate
Infrastructure
Recreation
Mission
Management/Administration
Transportation/Parking
Performance Review
Work-Life Balance
Diversity
Communication
Research
Extension/Engagement/Outreach
Leadership: Executive Officers
Leadership: Supervisor
Location
965
516
493
455
384
374
359
356
337
331
287
284
260
241
239
226
210
205
194
187
183
170
(n=
167
1,731)
Most Positive Aspects Working at NC State
(Staff Overall)
# of respondents mentioning
POSITIVE ASPECTS: TOP THEMES
(≥10% of comments mention)
Theme
% of total
comments
Colleagues
731
Compensation and Benefits
462
455
Colleagues
40%
Culture/Climate
Compensation & Benefits
26%
Job Characteristics
Culture/Climate
25%
Professional Development
Job Characteristics
24%
Support
Professional Development
23%
Support
19%
Location
18%
Populations Served
16%
Employee Treatment
Employee Treatment
15%
Reputation
256
Reputation
14%
Work/Life Balance
253
Work-Life Balance
14%
Personal Contribution
13%
Workload
13%
Leadership: Division/College/Dept
12%
College/Dept. Leadership
215
Extension/Engagement/ Outreach
11%
Extension
206
425
410
343
Location
319
Population Served
297
275
Personal Contribution
232
Workload
230
(n= 1,810)
Work Activities
TASKS
RESOURCES
CO-WORKERS
SUPERVISORS
WORKLOAD
WORK/LIFE BALANCE
Job Description
 96% of SPAs and 91%
of EPAs say they have
a formal job
description
Job description matches
actual work…
100%
1%
7%
1%
7%
90%
80%
 About half say the job
description ‘very
closely’ matches the
work they actually do
70%
40%
45%
60%
Not at all
Not very closey
50%
Fairly closely
40%
Very closely
30%
52%
20%
47%
10%
0%
SPA
EPA
Work Tasks
More than 80% of SPAs & EPAs are satisfied with
the tasks they do and the input they have on how
they do their job

Amount of time given to complete tasks (88% SPA / 87% EPA
satisfied)

Ability to use skills within job (83% SPA / 84% EPA satisfied)
Actual tasks asked to do (81% SPA / 93% EPA satisfied)
Has input on how accomplish work (92% SPA / 96% EPA agree)
Has input on planning work (90% SPA / 95% EPA agree)
Has input on solving problems related to work (90% SPA / 94%

Has input on decisions that affect work (87% SPA / 93% EPA




EPA agree)
agree)
Resources to do Job
 More than 80% of SPAs & EPAs are satisfied with
resources they have to do their jobs

Basic supplies needed to do their job (95% SPA / 94% EPA
satisfied)

Availability of up-to-date equipment to do job (88% SPA /
87% EPA satisfied)

Office, lab, general work space area (83% SPA / 85% EPA
satisfied)
Co-Workers
 About 90% of SPAs & EPAs believe members of
their work unit





Treat each other with respect
Understand and know how to do their jobs
Are hard working
Get along and enjoy working together
Share helpful information and ideas with each other
Supervisors
Between 75%-80% of employees overall* give
their supervisor a favorable rating on most
leadership traits asked about

Most favorably rated traits
Being supportive when personal issues arise (86% favorable)
 Being available when needed (83% favorable)
 Being approachable and easy to talk to (82% favorable)


Least favorably rated traits
Resolving internal conflicts in unit (65% favorable)
 Setting short and long term goals for unit (69% favorable)
 Setting clear priorities for work unit (71% favorable)
 Treating all members of unit consistently (72% favorable)

*Only minimal differences between SPAs & EPAs
Workload
 While 85% of SPAs and 81% of EPAs are satisfied with
the amount of work expected of them, they also say

There is more work than they expected based on their job
description


They need additional qualified people in their unit to get the
work done expected of them


48% SPAs / 59% EPAs
They are somewhat or “completely overwhelmed” in trying to
manage their work-related demands


40% SPAs / 46% EPAs
22% SPAs / 35% EPAs
They experience “a great deal” of stress as a result of their
workload

14% SPAs / 25% EPAs
Workload
 More than half of SPAs (52%) and EPAs(60%) say
they “often” do more work than expected of
them simply because they enjoy the work they
do
 Over one-third of staff disagree that when they
do work that is above and beyond their job
description/work plan the additional work is
formally documented
Work/Life Balance
 86% of SPAs & 75% of EPAs say their work
environment enables them to successfully
balance their work and personal life
 12% of SPAs & 25% of EPAs say they have
experienced “a great deal” of stress from
work/life balance in the past couple of years
Professional Development
Professional Development
 About one-third of SPAs & EPAs disagree that
their department does a good job of actively
creating a culture where staff can develop their
potential
 Dissatisfaction with various aspects of
professional development is widespread among
SPAs, and to a somewhat lesser extent, EPAs

Satisfaction is highest for supervisor giving time to
participate (especially among EPAs)
Opps to
Sprvsr
Opps to Opps to
improve
giving time improve broaden/
skills to Opps for
for prof
skills in
expand Dept $ for get better leadership
dev
current job experience prof dev
job
dev
Professional Development
EPA
22%
SPA
53%
18%
EPA
48%
24%
SPA
50%
20%
EPA
45%
24%
SPA
45%
21%
EPA
47%
31%
SPA
49%
24%
EPA
48%
30%
SPA
53%
25%
49%
EPA
48%
SPA
43%
35%
0%
10%
20%
48%
30%
40%
Very satisfied
50%
Satisfied
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Performance Reviews
Annual Appraisal/Performance Review
 About three-fourths or more of employees say
they understand the Annual Appraisal /
Performance Review process

SPAs are more likely than EPA to understand their
respective process either “very” or “somewhat well”
SPA: 84% (39% “very well” & 45% “somewhat well”)
 EPA: 73% (32% “very well” & 41% “somewhat well”)

SPA Annual Appraisals
 SPAs who have had an Annual Appraisal in their current
position give positive ratings to the process and usefulness
of it, with the exception that a slight majority do not see
them as helpful to their career planning
Helpful to career development
27%
60%
11% 2%
Based on job description/work plan
27%
60%
11% 2%
Provided in a timely fashion
26%
58%
11%
5%
Help identify what have done well
25%
59%
13%
4%
14%
3%
Help identify areas to improve
22%
Reflect how well think are doing
21%
Helpful to career planning
62%
58%
13%
0%
10%
18%
43%
20%
Strongly agree
30%
36%
40%
Agree
50%
60%
Disagree
70%
3%
8%
80%
90%
Strongly disagree
100%
EPA Performance Reviews
 EPAs who have had a Performance Review in their current
position give positive ratings to the process and usefulness
of it, with the exception that close to half do not see them
as helpful to their career planning or career development
Based on job description/work plan
33%
Help identify what have done well
55%
30%
10% 2%
56%
13%
2%
Provided in a timely fashion
27%
56%
Reflect how well think are doing
26%
57%
15%
2%
Based on agreed upon objectives
25%
59%
13%
3%
Help identify areas to improve
23%
Helpful to career development
57%
18%
Helpful to career planning
10%
17%
45%
16%
0%
12%
33%
42%
20%
Strongly agree
30%
40%
Agree
60%
Disagree
70%
80%
2%
4%
37%
50%
5%
5%
90%
Strongly disagree
100%
Staff Support / Represenation
Staff Senate
 70% of SPAs & 63% of EPAs give the Staff Senate
a favorable rating for providing an effective
way for staff and University administration to
communicate with each other
 65% of SPAs & EPAs give the Staff Senate a
favorable rating for being an effective
advocate for staff
(Note: Large numbers do not have an opinion)
Grievances
 When SPA/EPA staff have a complaint, the
university provides reasonable and effective
procedures to address their complaint


75% of SPA agree (for SPA complaints)
71% of EPA agree (for EPA complaints)
(Note: Large numbers do not have an opinion)
More Information
& Next Steps
SHARING RESULTS
Online Reports
 Currently available at
http://oirp.ncsu.edu/srvy/empl/staff/swbs14

Annotated Questionnaire
Frequencies, means, standard deviations for each question
for the 2014 SWBS and, when comparable, the 2008 SWBS
 Graphics and shading to highlight notable trend differences



Executive Summary
Tables of results by
Employment profile (supervisor status, EPA/SPA, occupation,
on/off-campus, years employed at NCSU)
 Demographic profile (gender, race/ethnicity, age, LGBT
status, disability status)
 Division/college

Online Reports
 Coming Soon
 Research Methods and Response Rates
 Tables of results for divisions/colleges by
Sub-units/departments
 Employment profile
 Demographic profile


Reports on major themes raised in open-end comments
Why considered leaving
 Most positive aspects working at NC State
 Suggestions for areas to improve

Presentations / Articles
 Provost & VC F&B
(October 8, 2014)
 Staff Diversity Advisory Board
(November 4, 2014)
 University Diversity Advisory Committee
(November
24, 2014)
 Finance & Business leadership team
2014)
 Staff Senate
(January 7, 2015 )
 University Council
 Bulletin
 Others?
(January 12, 2015)
(December 16,
Discussion
QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?
SUGGESTIONS?