Staff Climate Survey Update: Summary of Key Findings and Themes

The following message was sent on June 12, 2024 to all employees from Lauren Turner, VP Talent & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer.

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you again for participating in our recent staff climate survey. Your valuable input helps us understand our current environment and identify areas where we can improve.

Below is a summary of some key findings and important themes shared at the May 20 Staff Forum. Additionally, the Division of Talent and Inclusion and colleagues from the Strategic Initiatives Office have met with senior leaders across all divisions to share results specific to each department/division. We are eager to engage in further discussions with staff to identify actions that will enhance our climate and capitalize on our areas of strength.

• Job Satisfaction: Many of you reported high levels of satisfaction, fulfillment, and contentment with your jobs, and many also reported feeling valued and motivated at work. This is a positive reflection of WPI’s work environment, and it’s particularly important because your satisfaction is essential to the university’s overall success. We aim to maintain and enhance this positive atmosphere.
• Supervisory Effectiveness: Staff members rated their supervisors highly for their effectiveness, for demonstrating strong leadership, and for being supportive. We will continue to provide training and resources to ensure our supervisors can lead effectively and foster a supportive and inclusive work environment.
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB): Your feedback also made it clear that DEIB is highly valued across our campus. This heartening insight underscores our collective commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment where all voices are celebrated and heard, and everyone can feel they belong.
• Well-being: Institutional Support: A significant number of you reported feeling that your overall well-being is well supported by the institution. This support includes our employee health benefits, access to health and wellness programs and mental health resources, and a supportive work-life balance. We are dedicated to continuing initiatives to ensure your well-being remains a top priority.
• Job Support: While many of you feel adequately supported in your roles, there is room for improvement, including better resources, clearer communication, and more robust support systems. We are committed to identifying opportunities to improve and enhance the support structures that help you succeed.
• Professional Development: This area emerged as an important area of focus. We are committed to improving professional development by bolstering our on-demand resources (e.g., with the recent launch of the LinkedIn Learning and Vector Solutions platforms) and by offering more opportunities for employees to develop their skills and advance their careers. We will connect with you for additional feedback to help guide the content we offer.
• Engagement with Leadership: Your responses indicated that there is a need for increased engagement between staff and leadership. This will be a top focus area as we create more opportunities for interaction, feedback, and dialogue between staff and leaders to ensure all voices are heard.
• Performance Management: As mentioned during the Staff Forum and in recent communications, a Task Force has already started working on initiatives to enhance our performance management processes. We aim to ensure that our evaluation and feedback mechanisms are effective, ongoing, and support your success and professional growth.

Your candor and continued insights are greatly appreciated. Your feedback continues to be important as we move forward with shaping our WPI community going forward. We are committed to using the results of this survey and ongoing dialogue to inform meaningful changes over the coming months.

Thank you for your continued engagement.

Best,
Lauren Turner