2009 Staff Attitude Survey- success stories

From the 2007 Staff Attitude Survey results, each faculty, campus, portfolio and division identified its own priority issues and developed action plans to address them. The repeat of the Staff Attitude Survey in 2009 enabled improvements in staff attitudes towards those same issues to be measured, with positive results. The following sample case studies give a snapshot demonstration of how some successful action plan strategies were implemented to yield tangible improvements for staff and the University.

Setting the Scene

From the 2007 Staff Attitude Survey results, each faculty, campus, portfolio and division identified its own priority issues and developed action plans to address them.  The repeat of the Staff Attitude Survey in 2009 enabled improvements in staff attitudes towards those same issues to be measured, with positive results. The following sample case studies give a snapshot demonstration of how some successful action plan strategies were implemented to yield tangible improvements for staff and the University.

Faculty – Law 

Issue – Section Managers/Directors

The Faculty of Law adopted a tailored approach by preparing separate action plans for academic staff and professional staff, to great effect.  As part of the plan for academic staff, Section Managers/Directors were identified as an issue, with specific regard to lack of communication. The Faculty addressed this issue by:

• Ensuring that senior staff consulted with and obtained input from staff on key issues
• Assisting staff to make the transition to management positions by supporting their professional and leadership development
• Improving communications with staff by revamping the Law Gazette (newsletter) to form a primary source of written communication

Improvement in Section Managers/Directors by 18% points

Portfolio – Advancement                                        

Issue - Processes

In reviewing their 2007 Staff Attitude Survey results, the Advancement portfolio realised many staff were unclear about: the correct lines of authority when seeking approvals, which areas had responsibility for which functions, and the correct processes to follow to get their work done efficiently and effectively. They responded by:

• Introducing a signing authority matrix to clarify the staff responsible for HR and Finance matters
• Placing an organisational chart on the website and providing a hard copy to new staff to assist their understanding of work area and staff responsibilities
• Developing area staff manuals, including for HR, Finance and IT processes
• Producing Marketing and Student Recruitment media and brand policies which clarify roles and responsibilities
• Developing a central intranet repository of all policies, procedures and work instructions
• Convening a small team of key administrators who meet regularly to discuss process improvements and benchmarking

Improvement in Processes by 15% points

Division – Anonymous 

Issue – Diversity

A Division recognised staff concerns in relation to a sense of inequality and bullying behaviour. Harnessing existing supports, the Division made a commitment to dealing promptly with workplace issues by:

• Conducting one-on-one discussions with staff, including during performance reviews, to: ensure any issues of inequality were discussed and addressed, enable staff members to provide constructive feedback on their manager’s performance, and discuss training, and skills and career development
• Discussing at Divisional staff meetings the University’s policies and procedures in respect to bullying, identifying what is not acceptable and what would not be tolerated in the Division

Improvement in Diversity by 16% points

Library                                                                                   

Issue – Learning and Development

From the Staff Attitude Survey, Library understood that its staff had an expectation that training identified in the performance development process would be undertaken. They had also expressed a need for a fairer and more transparent process for conference attendance. To address these issues, Library:

• Developed and implemented a Training Framework which outlined a clear strategy to assist with identifying gaps in skills, staff members’ training requirements and the organisation’s requirements
• Established a conference attendance committee
• Developed a policy and guidelines to provide a more transparent method for determining conference attendance within a limited budget
• Invited staff to an information forum to provide feedback on the policy and guidelines

Improvement in Learning and Development by 6% points