College releases results of employee survey
More than 86 percent of respondents to an employee
survey at William and Mary are proud to say they work at the College,
according to the results of a report released Friday. In addition, more
than 95% believe their job gives them a sense of personal satisfaction.
The comprehensive climate survey of classified, hourly and
administrative/professional faculty was conducted in July as the result
of a promise by William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol to collect
data to help guide the ongoing development of the University Human
Resources Management System. The new HR system will be implemented in
July 2008 as part of the state’s higher education restructuring
initiative. Nichol announced the study last spring at a public forum
with employees.
“I am heartened, but not surprised, that so many who responded to this
survey indicated they are proud to work here – I understand the
feeling,” Nichol said. “But these results also provide us with critical
information on the current working climate at the College, especially
as we look to examine what we are doing well and where we have more
work to do. It is something we will be discussing a great deal in the
coming year.”
In addition to the survey, Nichol said, William and Mary was moving
forward with hiring a College ombudsman – a commitment the president
made to employees during the public forum last semester. The College
expects to have someone in that position by the end of the semester,
said Nichol, adding he will also schedule another public forum for
employees later this semester.
According to the survey results, 55.5 percent of eligible employees
(928 out of 1671) participated in the survey, which was conducted by
the Office of Human Resources. Employees at both the William and Mary’s
main campus in Williamsburg and the College’s Virginia Institute of
Marine Science in Gloucester were asked a wide-ranging series of
questions regarding working at the College, as well as how they would
rate the institution and their department. The survey covered such
areas as compensation and benefits, training and resources,
communication and management.
“The results have provided us with a great deal of valuable data on the
working environment here at the College,” said Vice President for
Administration Anna Martin. “Most importantly they tell us that our
employees not only take great pride in their own work, but care about
the overall health of the institution as well. We are indeed fortunate
to have such a dedicated and skilled workforce.”
The results also indicate areas that need improvement such as
communication, compensation and additional resources to meet the
current workload, Martin said. The results will inform the development
of the new HR system and provide perspective for senior management, she
added.
“The survey is a powerful reminder of the importance of clear, strong
lines of communication,” Martin said. “We want our employees to know we
hear them.”
The College distributed the survey to employees through a variety of
means. Employees were first sent an email invitation to complete an
online survey. The College also held sessions with paper surveys for
employees without access to computers. Of the 928 employees who
participated, 510 were classified employees, 247 were
administrative/professional faculty, and 44 were hourly. According to
results, 127 respondents did not report their status.
The complete survey is available on the College’s Web site at http://www.wm.edu/hr/restructure/ and paper copies are available at the Office of Human Resources located in the Thiemes House at 303 Richmond Road in Williamsburg.
