Following the example of many other organisations within both the private and public sector, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has recently invited its employees to complete a staff survey.
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1602 UCLan employees (58 per cent of the University’s workforce) completed the survey which paints a varied picture of staff satisfaction with life in the organisation.
Senior management at UCLan have described the results as “very pleasing overall,” although there is an acceptance that there is room for improvement in certain key areas.
On the positive side, 92 per cent of the respondents describe UCLan as a good place to work, and staff in general say that they are interested in UCLan, feel that working there is more than “just a job” and are generally highly motivated to do their job. Most feel that UCLan offers good pay, know what’s expected of them in their roles, consider their line manager to be approachable, and feel valued by students and their colleagues.
The survey has also turned the spotlight on four areas for improvement: work load and bureaucracy, change management, communications and career progression. Most respondents feel that they have had to put in extra effort over the last 12 months, without having the time to carry out all their work. They also feel frustrated at the approvals process for routine decisions, and are concerned about being required to undertake unimportant tasks at the expense of more important ones. Many of UCLan’s employees believe that there is too much change for change’s sake, that communication between departments is poor, and that the opportunities for career progression are limited.
All staff will receive a newsletter giving a summary of the results, and more detailed information has been made available in the form of a 78 page University Wide Report.
Speaking in an interview with Personnel Today magazine, a spokesperson for UCLan said that “The purpose of these surveys is to provide honest feedback on the University as a place to work, and its results are used to improve the environment that we offer to both staff and students.”
This is a guest post by Graham Salisbury, who contributes to the HR Case Studies Blog.
Image credit to Tony Worrall