According to a Pima Community College press release, an executive summary of findings from an employee satisfaction survey were released today at www.pima.edu/about-pima/college-documents.

From PCC:

Tucson, AZ — Overall employee satisfaction at Pima Community College is close to the rating that employees at benchmark institutions give their colleges, according to a survey of PCC employees conducted in late 2013.

The College today released an Executive Summary of findings from the survey, which was conducted on Nov. 26-Dec. 20, 2013. The survey was sent to 3,970 employees, with 982 responding.

“Improving and strengthening constructive employee engagement is one of my top priorities,” Chancellor Lee D. Lambert said. “The College is committed to transparency and to data-inspired and evidence-based decision making. This survey provides a baseline for measurement as we improve the climate and culture of our school.”

The PCC employees who responded to the confidential, 20-minute survey rated their overall workplace satisfaction at 3.70 on a five-point scale, with a 1 being not satisfied at all and a 5 being very satisfied. The overall satisfaction at six benchmark comparison institutions participating in the same survey is 3.93.

“We understand the College has a lot of work ahead of it to improve morale,” said Chancellor Lambert, who directed PCC to conduct the survey shortly after he started working at PCC on July 1, 2013. “We owe it to our employees, and to the students we serve, to create the kind of workplace that offers more than just a paycheck. Pima’s employees are dedicated and hardworking. I want them to come to work every day knowing that the work they do matters, and that they are genuinely appreciated.”

Chancellor Lambert said the College will build upon the survey by incorporating its findings into the strategic planning process, conducting focus groups to discern factors underlying employee attitudes and perceptions, and conducting follow-up surveys in a year or two to gauge the College’s progress.

Regarding satisfaction with College culture and policies, the lowest-rated statements were:

1. Efforts to improve the effectiveness of the Board of Governors’ leadership are paying off at the institution, 2.39

2. The institution consistently follows clear processes for selecting new employees, 2.40

3. There are effective lines of communication between departments, 2.48

4. Employee suggestions are used to improve the institution, 2.52

5. There is a spirit of teamwork and cooperation at the institution, 2.57

The highest-rated statements were:

1. Faculty take pride in their work, 3.64

2. PCC fosters an environment that is inclusive of diverse identities, 3.54

3. Staff takes pride in their work, 3.50

4. The institution does a good job meeting the needs of the administrators, 3.43

5. Most people are generally supportive of the mission, purpose, and values of the institution, 3.32

The College has taken several actions to improve the workplace since the survey was conducted. They include:

· Revising Human Resources policy to ensure employee protection of rights

· Making it easier for employees to compete for positions identified as an Opportunity for Career Advancement

· Establishing a new governance model to ensure all key internal stakeholders have a voice in decision-making at the College

· Reorganizing Chancellor’s Cabinet to emphasize accountability and multidirectional communication

· Holding a Futures Conference of external and internal stakeholders to help determine strategic directions for the College over the next three to five years.

The Executive Summary of the survey is available on the PCC website at www.pima.edu/about-pima/college-documents. (The link is at the bottom of the webpage.) It also is available at: www.pima.edu/about-pima/reports/organizational-climate. Complete copies of employee comments will be made available at each of the College’s six campuses.

The survey was conducted for about $7,200 by Noel-Levitz, a higher education research company that works with colleges and universities across the U.S. and specializes in enrollment and student success strategies.