Say what you need to say

Fifty-four per cent of Dalhousie employees – that’s 1,447 of a possible 2,696 – completed the 2009 Workplace Study survey and the majority consider Dal a pretty good place to work. 

The full report from the survey can be found at www.humanresources.dal.ca. What follows here are selected highlights, reproduced to offer employees and others an opportunity to comment below the story.

Morale

Significant majorities of employees reported they look forward to coming to work, enjoy their work and are proud to work at Dalhousie. Seventy-six per cent said they would recommend Dalhousie as a good place to work. Smaller numbers – a bare majority – said Dal is a fun place to work.

Direction

Overall, 57 per cent of employees said they think the university is headed in the right direction.  More staff (60 per cent) felt that way than faculty (48 per cent).

Sixty per cent of respondents said they have a high (10 per cent) or moderate (50 per cent) level of awareness of the university’s strategic direction. Fewer (43 per cent) reported awareness of the President’s Strategic Focus, where Dalhousie's strategy is articulated. (Find the President's Strategic Focus online: http://senioradmin.dal.ca/president/reports.php)

It seems senior administration is known to employees, with 83 per cent reporting they know who Dal’s president and vice-presidents are. Only 29 per cent however, reported that they felt the presidents and VPs are open to input from employees. The senior leaders faired slightly better with faculty (31 per cent) than with staff (28 per cent) on this measure. Half the respondents said the president and VPs are doing a good job. Deans were rated slightly lower (44 per cent) on the same measure, but faired better with faculty, 55 per cent of whom felt deans are doing a good job.

Compensation/job security

Seventy-three per cent of faculty said they completely (24 per cent) or mostly (49 per cent) agree that they are fairly compensated in terms of wages; and 71 per cent agree that Dalhousie’s benefits package meets their needs. Administrative staff members were not so sure. Half of the staff agreed they are fairly compensated and 61 per cent said the benefits package meets their needs. 

A split in opinion exists on the question of teaching workload: six in 10 faculty agree this is reasonable, while two in 10 express disagreement, and the remainder are neutral. Faculty under the age of 35, or those who have not reached a professor designation, are least likely to agree their teaching workload is reasonable. 

Two-thirds of the employees feel their job at the university is secure (one in 10 disagree). Faculty members are most likely to completely agree with the statement. Those who feel least secure about job security are employees with less than five years of employment and members of the NSUPE union.

Job satisfaction

The overwhelming majority of Dal employees – faculty and staff – are satisfied with their job.  Overall, 77 per cent responded in the affirmative to that question.  About half the respondents believe Dal to be among the best employers in the city and only eight per cent disagreed with a statement making that claim. 

Ninety per cent of faculty and 80 per cent of staff gain a sense of accomplishment from working at Dalhousie.

While faculty are more likely than staff to agree their work has a positive impact on students and that they have the opportunity to do interesting work, all employees are mostly favourable when evaluating general working conditions at the university.

Workplace culture

Inquiries about the workplace culture on campus drew a moderately satisfied assessment from employees, with faculty consistently less so than staff. Overall, 7 out of 10 employees are comfortable in Dalhousie’s workplace culture. Feedback on particular aspects are reflected as follows: my workplace reflects diverse cultural communities (60 per cent agree); an appropriate mix of experience levels exists (63 per cent agree); my department values and recognizes diversity (64 per cent agree); and the university strives to create a diverse workplace (61 per cent agree).

When asked if Dalhousie is a better place to work now than it was two years ago, more than half surveyed were neutral or didn’t offer an opinion. Staff employees are more likely than faculty to agree that Dalhousie is a better place to work today. Those with the shortest employment history were most likely refrain from offering an opinion.

Other issues

Only one-third of faculty employees agree that the university supports their research needs, while an equal number express disagreement. Those most likely to review the university’s support more positively are full professors and those aged 55 and older. Faculty members with between five and 20 years of employment are least likely to agree.

The job classification system at Dal was panned by respondents, about a quarter of whom said it was fair and fairly administered. There were no specific questions about parking.

Only a quarter of those responding agree the university makes decisions in a timely fashion.

Most employees (66 per cent) either mostly (51 per cent) or completely (16 per cent) agree with the statement that Dalhousie operates in a socially responsible manner.

LINKS: 2009 Workplace Survey (PDF) on Dalhousie's Human Resources website