ndus survey

8/10/2019 NDUS Survey

1/35

CTSOSS Employee Survey

Core Technology Services/System Office Staff Senate (CTSOSS) developed an employee

satisfaction survey and the following report is a summary of the surveys results. Due to all of

the changes within our organization over the last few years, the CTSOSS recognizes that

employees may have concerns that are not being identified. The goal of this survey is to identify

employee concerns and provide suggested actions to senior management. Below are survey

results by question, followed with a summary of suggested actions at the end of the document.

All CTS and SO employees minus Senior Staff were invited to take the survey from July 17,

2014 to August 1st, 2014. There are 133 completed responses.

*Note that cross tabulated results by departments have totals different from the question results.

This is because employees may have opted not to indicate in which department they belong.

Survey Results

1. I am satisfied with NDUS as my employer.Answer Response %

Strongly Disagree 4 3%

Disagree 15 12%

Neither Agree nor Disagree 34 26%

Agree 58 45%

Strongly Agree 18 14%

Total 129 100%

Summary: 15% Disagree/Strongly disagree, 59% Agree/Strongly Agree, 26% Neither Agree nor

Disagree

By department:


2/35

*Cross tabulated results vary from original question as some employees declined to indicate their department.

2. I understand the long term strategy of our organization.Answer Response %


Disagree 38 30%


Agree 32 26%

Strongly Agree 4 3%

Total 125 100%


Disagree

3. There is adequate planning in my department.Answer Response %


Disagree 40 32%


Agree 40 32%

Strongly Agree 3 2%

Total 125 100%


3/35


Disagree

By department:


4. There is follow through of department objectives.Answer Response %


Disagree 38 30%


Agree 42 34%

Strongly Agree 5 4%

Total 125 100%


Disagree

By department:


4/35


5. Leadership is open to input from employees.Answer Response %


Disagree 20 16%


Agree 43 34%


Total 125 100%


Disagree

By department:


5/35



6/35

6. Communications from senior staff are detailed and

frequent enough.Answer Response %


Disagree 27 22%


Agree 36 29%

Strongly Agree 4 3%

Total 124 100%


Disagree

7. I receive recognition for work well done.Answer Response %


Disagree 21 17%


Agree 49 40%


Total 124 100%


Disagree

By department:


7/35



8/35

8. Quality is a top priority within the organization.Answer Response %


Disagree 22 18%


Agree 49 40%

Strongly Agree 7 6%

Total 124 100%

Summary: 25% Disagree/Strongly disagree, 46% Agree/Strongly Agree, 30% Neither Agree norDisagree

By department:



9/35

9. I can express my opinion on work issues without fear of

reprisal.Answer Response %


Disagree 29 23%


Agree 47 38%


Total 124 100%


Disagree

By department:



10/35

10. Changes in the organization are communicated to me in

a timely manner.Answer Response %


Disagree 37 30%


Agree 26 21%

Strongly Agree 2 2%

Total 124 100%


Disagree

11. Departments work together towards a common goal.Answer Response %


Disagree 40 32%


Agree 32 26%

Strongly Agree 2 2%

Total 124 100%


Disagree

By department:


11/35


12. I am given the authority to make decisions to accomplish

my job.Answer Response %


Disagree 14 12%


Agree 64 53%

Strongly Agree 8 7%

Total 120 100%


Disagree

13. I feel my position is clearly defined.Answer Response %


Disagree 20 17%


Agree 56 47%

Strongly Agree 6 5%

Total 120 100%


12/35


Disagree

14. I am able to meet deadlines provided by my department.Answer Response %


Disagree 5 4%


Agree 65 54%


Total 120 100%


Disagree

15. I feel like I am a valued employee within the organization.Answer Response %


Disagree 24 20%


Agree 50 42%


Total 119 100%


Disagree

By department:


13/35



14/35

16. I feel part of a team within my department working

towards shared goals.Answer Response %


Disagree 18 15%


Agree 46 39%


Total 118 100%


Disagree

By department:


17. I feel part of a team within the organization as a whole.Answer Response %


Disagree 34 29%


Agree 37 31%

Strongly Agree 6 5%


15/35

Total 118 100%


Disagree

18. I have a clear understanding of my roles within our

organization.Answer Response %


Disagree 23 19%


Agree 52 43%

Strongly Agree 7 6%

Total 120 100%


Disagree

19. My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.Answer Response %


Disagree 16 14%


Agree 58 50%


Total 117 100%


Disagree

20. I have a balance between work and personal life.


16/35

Answer Response %


Disagree 9 8%


Agree 63 53%


Total 118 100%


Disagree


17/35

21. Staffing levels are adequate in my department.Answer Response %


Disagree 38 32%


Agree 35 29%

Strongly Agree 4 3%

Total 120 100%


Disagree

By department:



18/35

22. My department provides adequate training opportunities.Answer Response %


Disagree 21 18%


Agree 44 37%


Total 119 100%


Disagree

By department:



19/35

23. I feel departments have a common goal and are

understood by all employees.Answer Response %


Disagree 43 36%


Agree 14 12%

Strongly Agree 1 1%

Total 120 100%


Disagree

By department:


24. What does this organization do to make it a place where

people would want to work?

61 people responded and the following is a paraphrased summarization of their comments:

Environment / Workplace

Nice/great building, pleasant supportive workplace, good amenities, convenient

location, proper equipment & meeting rooms, good parking (7 comments)

Good and up-to-date technology/hardware (4 comments)


20/35

The massive amounts of open space and "collaboration" space in the new building do

not work.

Creating employee organizations like CTSOSS, fun committee, health committee helps

make it a place people want to work

Many staff members are stretched too thin which makes it hard to produce quality work.

Diversity of technology initiatives makes for an exciting work environment.

Goal / Purpose

Recognition is given for a job well done and countless behind the scenes hours.

The overall goal of helping students succeed is important for the state of North Dakota.

Work done gives an opportunity to influence higher education.

Leadership

Administration is concerned with employees satisfaction.

Does not promote from within enough and people in upper management are not willing

to change.

The monthly all staff meeting is helpful

If employees need training it should be offered instead of telling them to self-train on

everything.

Supervisor treats people as teammates rather than subordinates which gives a better

feeling of value

Supervisors have flexible control to work with their staff.

Strong leaders of the organization

Supervisors should not micromanage

Good supervisors

Some supervisors dont have people skills which can make it a tough place to work

Should not force people to read other peoples newsletters in the rest rooms and then

plan activities that are contrary to those items preached in the newsletters.

Should not need to have employees use other doors or stay out of the way of guests.

Gives the employee the ability and resources to effectively do their job. (2 comments)

Rules, regulation and policies should be the same for all the employees. (2 comments)

Treat everybody equally. For example, some teams can take leave in advance and

some not.

Put some efforts to appreciate your employees hard work by giving rewards.

People / Coworkers

Most people are professional, knowledgeable, kind, friendly, have positive attitude,willing to help, show easier way to do things, and pretty great to work with. (12

comments)

o The camaraderie and helpfulness of people here is wonderful.

o The intentions of the people throughout our office are truly good and in the best

interests of one another. We are all very supportive of one another in our work

life as well as personal lives.


21/35

Historically people are great. However, we are too often forced into adversarial roles.

If you are "in" with the right clique, that's one thing. Otherwise fend for yourself.

Employees should be given a chance to work with their co-workers and work on other

projects

Satisfaction (Salary, Benefits, etc) Good salary (5 comments)

This years pay raise does not encourage increasing productivity.

Good benefits (10 comments) / Health plan

Flexibility/time away (4 comments)

Flex hours are very important which makes it easier to enjoy work and personal life.

Balance between home and work life is good.

Job security and providing job offering in technology field in a small community.

Opportunity to learn new things every day, in addition to having chances to take classes.

This organization does nothing to make people want to work here unless you are coming

in and receive the higher salary.


22/35

25. There is enough noise control to allow me to do my job.Answer Response %


Disagree 18 15%


Agree 49 41%


Total 119 100%


Disagree

By department:



23/35

26. I feel safe in my work environment.Answer. Response %


Disagree 5 4%


Agree 63 53%


Total 119 100%


Disagree

Summarization of responses:

With only 4% of respondents disagreeing and no one strongly disagreeing, data reflects that

employees feel safe in their physical work environment. When the 5 respondents that disagreed

were asked to explain, their responses focused on the emotional stress caused by direct

supervisors and frequent and unpredictable departmental goals and objectives.

27. I have enough privacy to do my job.Answer Response %


Disagree 16 14%


Agree 63 54%


Total 118 100%


Disagree

Summarization of responses:

64% of respondents agree or strongly agree they have enough privacy to do their jobs. While

this is a majority, a significant amount of respondents, 22%, have concerns about their privacy


24/35

and disagreed with the statement. The 25 respondents that disagreed were asked to explain

and common themes were as follows:

Personal phone calls, such as making a doctor appointment, can be heard by everyone

around you and the provided glass walls do not provide a good sound barrier. This

problem was also noted by those having supervisory positions, saying it is hard to have

HR and other sensitive discussions with all the glass walls that do not fully inhibit sound.o Example comments: Too many distractions and not only do I have to worry

about my own privacy Im tired of having to cover my own ears so I dont have to

listen to others private matters., As a supervisor in a cube environment doesnt

allow for personnel issues to be discussed privately without finding an empty

conference room or work on employee documents without someone seeing the

work, Conversations in glass-walled rooms are easily hear by passerby and

staff in the area.

There is not enough privacy of computer screens. Respondents say there is an issue

with other employees peering at screens as they walk by. Several respondents also said

they always have a feeling someone is walking up behind them.

o Example comments: People have asked questions on information seen on my

screen., Low walls in the cubicle space give me the feeling someone is

always/could always look over my shoulder., Some of us are facing away from

the center of the room which allows people to come up behind us

unexpectedly.

Noise levels are often too high and distractions are too frequent which hampers

productivity.

o Example comments: Cubicle setup allows conversations to be easily

overheard., It is very disruptive to continually hear loud talking while trying to

concentrate and complete a project properly., The noise control loudspeakers

are way too loud.


25/35

30. I have been exposed to bullying or demeaning behavior.Answer Response %


Disagree 32 27%


Agree 18 15%


Total 119 100%


Disagree

By department:


Of the119 people that responded, comments were solicited from those 64 people that agreed or

strongly agreed. The following is a paraphrased summarization of their comments:

Leadership directed comments:

Bullying has occurred reported to supervisor and hierarchy instance(s) has not been

addressed

Intimidation and bullying by System Office personnel and supervisors Fear of retaliation for trying to correct illegal and unethical practices

Double standards for teams

Complaints about style of leadership by supervisor

Lack of support

Withholding crucial information

Forgets to share information


26/35

Cursing directed at individuals within a team

Sexist comments

Staff meetings that cross the line with hostility, physical gestures, raised voices, not

address by leadership so it is deemed acceptable

Leader has reputation of being dismissive, scolding and downright verbally abusive

Inappropriate comments from team lead

Leadership enables practices

Supervisor puts down team members to other team members

False complaints by supervisor about leadership of team members

Supervisors using title as power

Department lead talks down to group members

Individual/co-workers interaction:

Some individuals feel they are superior to co-workers

Negative attitudes creating hostile and scary workplace

Emails that are unprofessional and create an environment of abuse

Individuals push their own agenda and use aggressive tactics against those with an

alternative view

Individual not making eye contact with co-worker

Individuals yelling at each other,

Team members talk very poorly to other members of their team/group

Negativity of colleague and coarse language usage

Intimidation by co-workers

Apprehensive about raising an issue, ridiculed and then same issue raised by another

team member and they are praised


27/35

32. I am treated fairly by my supervisor.Answer Response %


Disagree 13 11%


Agree 46 39%


Total 118 100%


Disagree

By department:



28/35

33. I am treated with respect by my supervisor.Answer Response %


Disagree 10 8%


Agree 45 38%


Total 118 100%


Disagree

By department:


34. My personal and work related concerns are handled

adequately.Answer Response %


Disagree 19 16%



29/35

Agree 55 47%


Total 118 100%

Summary: 18% Disagree/Strongly disagree, 66% Agree/Strongly Agree, 17% Neither Agree norDisagree

35. I am recognized by my supervisor for doing a good job.Answer Response %


Disagree 13 11%


Agree 54 46%


Total 118 100%


Disagree


30/35

36. My supervisor provides me feedback when

improvements are necessary.Answer Response %


Disagree 6 5%


Agree 60 51%


Total 118 100%


Disagree

37. I have the ability to express my opinions to my

supervisor.Answer Response %


Disagree 9 8%


Agree 56 48%


Total 117 100%


Disagree


31/35

38. What can this organization do to increase your

satisfaction and productivity as an employee?

74 people responded, and comments are paraphrased and summarized as follows:

Goal / Purpose

Publish concrete strategic goals and direction for our organization.

Implement a results oriented work environment.

Better long term planning, and communicate those plans and goals to all staff.

Environment / Workplace

Provide a more efficient and productive work environment.

Recognize hard work with a better pay raise.

More white noise in some areas would be better, its too quiet and other conversations

and noises are distracting.

Loosen laptop security or fix Wi-Fi issue, unable to access Wi-Fi at a conference.

Leadership

Foster more teamwork and open communication throughout the organization.

Complete and publish a telecommuting policy that applies equally to everyone.

Terminate or discipline employees that are not meeting expectations, goals or tasks, or

spending excessive time on non-work related tasks (editing photos, watching YouTube

or Netflix all day).

Provide more opportunities for professional development and training.

Increase staff to meet work demands, hire appropriate staff for those departments to

prevent on the job training.

Hold all employees to a consistent and uniform standard of performance. Examine team leads and their leadership styles, do they match with this environment

and CTS goals.

Develop trust and supportive relationships between the Grand Forks and Fargo staff.

Empower employees.

It has been two years since weve reorganized, and some job duties are still not clearly

defined.

Encourage better communication, and listening/understanding, between teams.

Use individual annual reviews for consideration in pay raises.

Establish and utilized project and workflow management, understand how teams

currently work together, reduce or eliminate the silos in the organization.

Better research and planning before purchasing solutions, data warehouse is anexample of what not to do.

39. What is your age?Answer Response %

21-25 4 4%


32/35

26-35 14 13%

36-45 15 13%

46-55 16 14%

56--65 15 13%

Above 65 1 1%

Prefer not to answer 47 42%

Total 112 100%

40. What is your gender?

Answer Response %

Male 41 36%

Female 28 25%


Total 113 100%

41. What department do you currently work in?Answer Response %

ConnectND 24 27%

Data Center and Operations 16 18%

Enterprise Services 14 16%

North Dakota University System Office 20 22%

ODIN 3 3%

Office of the CIO 7 8%

User Services/ALT 6 7%

Total 90 100%

42. What ConnectND departmental unit do you work in?


33/35

Answer Response %

Financials 3 13%

Human Resources 2 8%

Student Administration (CampusSolutions) 6 25%


Total 24 100%

43. How long have you worked for this organization?Answer Response %

Less than a year 11 10%

One to five years 14 12%

Five years to less than ten years 15 13%

Ten years to less than twenty years 27 24%

Twenty years or more 12 11%


Total 113 100%

44. What Data Center and Operations departmental unit do

you work in?Answer Response %

Database Administration 0 0%

Networking 1 6%

Production Control/Operators 0 0%

Server Administration 2 13%


Total 16 100%


34/35

45. What Enterprise Services departmental unit do you work

in?Answer Response %

Application Administrators 3 21%

Web Application Programmers 2 14%

Campus Solutions Developers 5 36%


Total 14 100%

46. What User Services/ALT departmental unit do you work

in?Answer Response %

Instructional Services 3 50%

Integrated Systems 0 0%

Web 1 17%


Total 6 100%


35/35

Summary

A majority of employees that completed the survey are satisfied with their jobs. There are lots of

reasons for this including recognition and respect from supervisors and feedback when

necessary. New organizations have recently been formed that promote a healthy and fun work

environment. However the survey indicates concerns the CTSOSS feels should be dealt with ina timely manner. These areas are listed below in no particular order:

Improve organizational planning, development of department objectives, and

communication of long term strategy and goals of the organization. Increase frequency

and detail of communication from senior staff, and communicate changes in a timely

manner. (Questions 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 18, 23)

Address workplace concerns regarding privacy, noise, and workspaces. (Questions 25)

Encourage and improve communication and collaboration between departments. Ensure

department leads and members are working together on common goals of the

organization. (Questions 5, 9, 11, 15, 17)

Increase the number of training opportunities and staff to meet workload demands.

Clearly define roles, descriptions, and expectations for staff positions. (Questions 21,

22)

Address supervisory concerns. Give training and expectations to supervisors so they are

more consistent across the organization and align with organizational practices and

goals. (Questions 2, 5, 8, 11, 23, 30)

Bullying is a concern and should be addressed for all employees. Education on whatexactly bullying is and the effects of bullying is needed for management and staff.(Questions 30)

The survey suggests there is too much apathy within the organizations employees.

Senior Staff should work to provide a more positive, inclusive, and friendly workenvironment.

The CTSOSS would like to thank you for taking the time to review the survey. We are as

always, interested in improving the working environment for employees of NDUS Core

Technology Services and the NDUS System Office.

Core Technology and System Office Staff Senate:

President:Clay Willoughby

Vice President:Marietta Kemmet

Secretary/Treasurer:Angela O'Leary

Representatives: Mary Bergstrom, Nathan Clough, Kate Greicar, Bradley Holcomb, Phil

Moore, Angela O'Leary, Doug Osowski, Cory Schanzenbach, Sharon Schwartzbauer, Randy

Wald, Darrin Were, Ericka Westphal

ndus survey

Documents