For the fourth time in eight years, the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and the Office of Institutional Research, Planning & Effectiveness are asking all faculty and staff to share their perspectives and experiences about working at CSU through the Employee Climate Survey.
“Every person’s voice matters,” said Mary Ontiveros, vice president for diversity. “We want to hear from everyone about what’s working, what causes problems in your job, and places where we can improve the experience for all faculty, staff and students. But we can’t improve if we don’t know what’s not going well.”
This year, the survey includes questions specific to departments and units, to allow university leadership to better respond to employee concerns. You can see how the results of previous surveys have been reported on the OVPD website.
The Employee Climate Survey has been available since Oct. 2, and you should have received an email from your unit leadership with a link to complete it. If you do not have this link, or would rather respond in a different format, you can find the survey here; be sure to click on your division/college’s survey link.
Top 10 questions about the Employee Climate Survey
How is the survey created, and by whom?
The survey is developed by the Assessment Group for Diversity Issues , a committee of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity. In addition to the VPD’s office, members include representatives from Classified Personnel Council; Administrative Professional Council; Faculty Council and other faculty members; Institutional Research, Planning & Effectiveness; and a graduate student. The committee meets over the course of a year to discuss themes, questions, and implementation of the survey for the campus. The group reaches out to various CSU constituencies to obtain feedback on which areas to focus on.
Is the data anonymous?
Yes! Links are not individualized and there is no way to identify respondents. Only Institutional Research, Planning, & Effectiveness sees the raw data.
What happens if the demographic information I respond to identifies me (e.g. I am the only one in my department who is a certain race/ethnicity and gender)?
No identifying data is reported under any circumstance. Any potentially identifying information is kept confidential and not even shared with the survey committee. Results have to have enough respondents before sharing to further ensure confidentiality. All demographic information is optional and there is a ‘Decline to Answer’ option for all demographic questions.
Do I have to submit online?
No! You can either download a paper copy of the survey (English or Spanish) or request paper copies via email. Please visit the website for instructions on obtaining and submitting English and Spanish paper versions of the survey.
What is the incentive to complete the survey?
Completing the survey provides important and valuable information that can be used to better inform CSU regarding areas that need to be improved and areas that can be strengthened on campus. This year, your results will be focused on providing feedback to division/college leaders specific to your divisions/colleges. Additionally, the 2018 survey includes an opportunity to be entered to win one of 25 CSU swag items.
I’m sooo busy – When is the survey due?
You are encouraged to complete the survey by Nov. 1.
Are there other opportunities to provide feedback?
Yes, focus groups will be conducted this winter. Please contact Rachel.e.mckinney@colostate.edu if you are interested in participating. People will be randomly selected for participation.
There will also be two open forums and ALL employees are encouraged to attend one of them: Friday, Nov. 30, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Lory Student Center Grey Rock Room OR Tuesday, Dec. 4, 3:30-5 p.m. at the LSC Room 382.
Does my division leader see the open-ended comments?
No. Only Institutional Research, Planning, & Effectiveness sees the raw data, and open-ended comments will not be shared with anyone. All identifying information and individual names will be removed before open-ended comments are coded. Results will only be presented in themes.
Are the results available to all employees?
The results will be shared in aggregate and presentations will be offered for those interested. Findings will be available Spring 2019 and will be posted here.
How is the data used after it is compiled and analyzed?
Customized data results and presentations help units better understand where they can improve. There is also a campus climate committee that meets regularly to address key findings, discuss needs of employees and the campus as a whole, and to track the processes of recommendations made for campus improvements. Findings from previous employee surveys have resulted in CSU expanding diversity and inclusion training; addressing the issue of bullying, which led to a formal policy in 2015; and implementing mandatory supervisor training.
For further questions, please contact j.schneider@colostate.edu. To take the survey, please click here and find your division/college’s survey link.
