[PDADC-L] Speaking Up Staff and Faculty Experience Survey - Toolkit for Managers and Academic Administrators

2010 Speaking Up Survey
Information for Academic Administrators and
Managers of Administrative Staff

Introduction

From October 18 to November 12, the University of Toronto will be conducting its second employee experience survey. As an academic administrator or a manager, you play a vital role in ensuring that the survey is a success by encouraging staff and faculty in your unit to complete their surveys.

The following documents provide background information and helpful tips for a discussion of the survey and its importance for all employees. If you have questions about the survey and its administration, please contact Janice Draper (Human Resources) at 416-978-5699, janice.draper@utoronto.ca OR Sara-Jane Finlay (Office of Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life) at 416-978-1855, sarajane.finlay@utoronto.ca.

This package includes:
1.About the Survey background information
2.Frequently Asked Questions for Managers and Academic Administrators
3.A helpful tips sheet
4.Tips for managers with staff who will be filling out paper surveys

About the 2010 Speaking Up survey

About the Speaking UP survey
 This is the University of Toronto’s second staff and faculty experience survey (inaugural survey in 2006).
 The survey runs from October 18 until 5 p.m. on November 12, 2010.
 The data will give a picture of how staff and faculty view U of T as an employer and will be compared to the 2006 survey responses to measure the University’s progress and identify how U of T can improve as an employer.
 Questions cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, leadership and management, work design, performance and recognition, safety, tools and resources, communication, diversity and equity, growth and development, cooperation and collegiality, and workload and balance.
 The Canadian market research firm Ipsos Reid will be administering the survey.
 The survey is voluntary and anonymous. Our confidentiality procedures have been reviewed by the University of Toronto Ethics Review Board. Where there are units or groups of fewer than 10 employees responding to a question, data will not be reported. The write-in questions will be edited by Ipsos Reid to remove all identifiable names or situations before being sent to the University for further analysis.

Why is the survey important?
 It is an opportunity to engage all staff and faculty in sharing their views on U of T’s areas of strength as an employer and on where improvements can be made.
 Responses matter: results from the 2006 survey translated into new programs and initiatives at the local and University-wide levels, including the eBulletin, more workshops and training sessions on work-life and career opportunities and negotiated improvements to family leave provisions and the new childcare subsidy.
How the survey will be conducted
 All eligible University staff and faculty with email addresses on the University’s Human Resources Information System (HRIS) will be sent a randomly-generated unique web link from Ipsos Reid to access the survey online. Invitations to participate in the online survey will be sent on October 18.
 Those without email addresses on HRIS will be sent a survey package through Campus Mail to their University address. Employees completing a paper survey will receive their survey package on October 18 or shortly thereafter.
 It will take about 30 minutes to complete. The online survey is set up in sections, and can be saved and completed in stages.
 Respondents can access their unique web link multiple times until their survey is complete and submitted but no later than November 12 at 5 p.m.
 Completed surveys are returned directly and anonymously to Ipsos Reid. All completed surveys must be returned by November 12 at 5 p.m.
 The survey has core questions for everyone and specific questions tailored to staff, faculty and librarians.
 Results will be distributed to the University community in as open and transparent a manner as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

 Do I need to give my staff time to do the survey during the work day?
Yes. We ask that you give staff at least 30 minutes to complete the survey during working hours. If the staff member works in a public area, and would like a more private place to complete the survey, please provide one. If this is not possible, the staff member can come to the Organizational Development and Learning Centre (215 Huron Street, 6th floor). Computers are available in the Learning Lab from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. To access their survey, staff members can bring a print-out of their email invitation containing the web link to their survey, or they can access their email from the computer terminals at ODLC.

 Will I be able to find out what my department’s responses are?
The survey is both anonymous and confidential. Managers will not have access to individual survey responses and no information will be reported where any identification of individuals could occur. Where possible and upon request, survey results may be available for some units to allow for more local analysis and planning. Data will not be reported where there are units or groups of fewer than 10 employees responding to a question.

 How long will it take someone to do the survey?
It will take approximately 30 minutes.

 Do I need to fill a survey out as well?
Yes, we encourage all eligible faculty and staff at the University to complete a survey.

 May I answer any questions my staff and faculty have about how to complete the survey?
If staff or faculty members have a question about the survey, assistance is available from Janice Draper (Human Resources) at 416-978-5699, janice.draper@utoronto.ca OR Sara-Jane Finlay (Office of Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life) at 416-978-1855, sarajane.finlay@utoronto.ca, or speakingup.survey@utoronto.ca.

 Will my staff and faculty be able to comment on me personally?
Although there are questions about an employee’s manager, the responses are anonymous and confidential. If a respondent adds comments that can identify a person at the University, Ipsos Reid will edit the responses to remove any identifying information, such as names or references to specific work units. Ipsos Reid provides only the edited data to the University for further analysis.

 A staff or faculty member has asked me if the survey can be translated into another language.
The survey will not be translated; however, drop-in sessions will be available for employees whose first language is not English and/or who need assistance in understanding and completing the survey. Information on the sessions can be found at www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/news/survey/dropin.htm.

 Why should I encourage my staff to complete the survey?
Results of the Speaking Up survey will assist the University in understanding what employees like about working at U of T and where they would like to see changes made. The higher the response rate, the more accurate and informative the results will be. The results will guide the University in implementing changes that will allow us to continue to retain and attract the best employees.

Survey Tip sheet
As an academic administrator or a manager, you can actively support the survey and contribute to its success. The following are some ideas to help you promote the survey to your team.

 Discuss the survey with faculty and staff in your division. Some key points you may wish to address are:
o Confidentiality. Reassure staff and faculty in your unit that their answers will remain confidential and emphasize the data will only be reported in aggregate form. There cannot be any identification of individual faculty or staff members.
o Accessibility. The online survey is screen reader enabled and available in larger text. The instructions for these versions of the survey is available by clicking the unique web link on the emailed invitation.
o Their opinions matter. Responses from the 2006 survey resulted in changes that benefited many people at the University. Examples include:
 Negotiated improvements to family leave provisions and the new childcare subsidy.
 More seminars and workshops for staff and faculty on work-life balance and career development.
 More sessions for managers and new academic administrators on creating a positive work environment, providing feedback and recognition and supporting career development.
 Changes were negotiated to the USW collective agreement to encourage secondments and more internal hires.
 The eBulletin, which now goes out twice weekly to over 23,000 members of our community.
 The U of T main page was redesigned to make it user-friendly.
 And many other changes at the local level, such as adding divisional newsletters, enhancing recognition of jobs well done and creating committees to look at issues such as workload.
 Between October 18 and November 12, allow staff and faculty in your unit to take the time to respond to the survey during working hours.
o Provide them with the privacy necessary to complete the survey if they are in a public area. Computers are also available at ODLC (215 Huron St, 6th floor).
o If you have weekly meetings, condense one to 30 minutes and encourage your team to complete their surveys in the remaining time.
 Tell staff and faculty that the results will be shared.
o Although the University will be reporting on institutional-wide results, staff and faculty in your unit will be as interested as you in the results for your division. Because results with a respondent number of less than 10 cannot be shared, the more people who respond, the better the chance of getting local results.
 Remind staff and faculty they can find more information online at www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/news/survey.htm
 Finally, be a good role model by completing your own survey, and telling staff and faculty in your unit that you have done so!

If you manage staff who will be receiving paper surveys
 Remind staff during regular team meetings or at the beginning of shifts to complete their surveys.
 Ensure that staff in your unit know that they are expected to complete the survey during their working hours – not at lunch or during breaks.
 Provide a private and quiet area for staff members to complete their survey.
 The survey will not be translated; however, drop-in sessions will be available for employees whose first language is not English and/or who need assistance in understanding and completing the survey. Information on the sessions can be found at www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/news/survey/dropin.htm.