Yale Bulletin and Calendar

September 30, 2005|Volume 34, Number 5

Yale Workplace Survey spurring new initiatives

Yale leaders are developing plans to promote improvement in the workplace in response to the University's first-ever survey of its employees.

The Yale Workplace Survey was conducted last spring by Towers Perrin and the Organizational Development and Learning Center, under the sponsorship of John Pepper, vice president for finance and administration, and Robert Schwartz, associate vice president of the Department of Human Resources.

All non-faculty staff -- managerial and professional, clerical and technical, and service and maintenance workers -- were invited to take part in the anonymous survey. Over half (51%) participated, offering their evaluations on areas ranging from unit effectiveness to employee engagement, policy and programs, diversity and the need for change.

The results of the survey revealed that staff are positive about a number of things in the workplace, but that there are areas that need improvement. (See related story.)

"The Workplace Survey has shown us how good Yale's workplace is compared to many educational institutions, yet we still face challenges if we are to have a workplace culture worthy of Yale," says President Richard C. Levin. "We might not like all the data had to tell us, but it helps us to identify how we need to improve to better fulfill Yale's mission."

For the University as a whole, six broad areas for improvement have been identified:

* Leadership, management and supervisory effectiveness;

* Performance management and rewards;

* Labor/management relations;

* Diversity and inclusion;

* Communication; and

* Inter-unit collaboration and effectiveness.

"We are well on our way in many of these areas," notes Pepper. "We've begun significant initiatives to address each area of concern. Just one example is our Pathways program that provides an excellent learning experience for both leaders and managers." Pathways is a three-day program offered by the Learning Center to help develop leadership and managerial skills.

One key to promoting change for the better in many of these areas is an employee performance and development system -- one that provides ongoing feedback to the employee about performance, skills, development and career paths, notes Laura Freebairn-Smith, director of the Organizational Development program and leader of the Workplace Survey project.

"A solid and widely used performance system is a cornerstone of a good workplace culture," says Freebairn-Smith. "Over the next 12 months, we will be working hard on improving our existing forms, policies, procedures and training in this area. Our hope is to dramatically increase the number of staff receiving good, clear direction and feedback."

Other initiatives addressing issues raised in the survey include the Best Practices labor-management program, the Diversity Working Group and planned open houses on campus, offering employees an opportunity to speak with Yale leaders.

In addition, departments across campus are using the survey results to identify and draw up plans to address specific needs in their units.

The seven Yale officers devoted a part of their summer retreat to planning how the University could take full advantage of the survey and address the major issues where attention is needed. Yale Vice President and Secretary Linda Lorimer says she is enthusiastic about using the survey as a tool for improving worklife at Yale. "My team has already met to analyze our own data and develop some goals and objectives. I am confident that if we all focus on the six identified areas we can make real progress for our individual departments and for Yale as a community."

The Learning Center is also offering Departmental Planning Workshops, in which teams of four to eight staff members from individual units work to develop plans for responding to the survey results in their units. In addition, "Tools for Action" -- which include guides to interpreting results and worksheets for developing plans -- have been posted online. Information on both of these initiatives can be found on the website www.yale.edu/conversations.

Says Schwartz, "We have now set the bar higher for managers and leaders and we've provided them with a way to reach that bar."

The next survey will run in spring of 2007. For more information on the survey, including the full report or ways to address change within your department, visit www.yale.edu/conversations or contact Freebairn-Smith at (203) 432-5660.

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