Work-Life

2010 UK@Work Survey Results

Next Steps

The second UK@Work work-life survey has provided us with a progress report in key areas of the work environment and culture, work-life effectiveness and employee engagement. As indicated by these results, improvements in key areas are evident, but there is much more that UK can do to further advance work-life as a driver for employee attraction, engagement and retention. Given the strengths and challenges presented in this report, the Work-Life Advisory Council has undertaken the process of identifying salient issues. 

The Work-Life Advisory Council was presented with the work-life survey results in November 2010. The results were discussed at subsequent meetings throughout the winter and spring 2011. In June 2011, six members of the Council formed an ad hoc committee to develop an action plan to address issues of concern that emerged from the data. A matrix of areas of concern was developed that included issues from the 2005-06 results and the subsequent actions that were taken to address them.

The committee discussed each issue, including any improvements since the 2005-06 survey. Compensation was one of the most pressing issues for faculty and staff, as indicated by the survey results and additional comments of faculty and staff responses respectively. The percentage of new faculty indicating they were seeking employment elsewhere declined from 31% in 2006 to 27% in 2010, with compensation being listed as the most common motivator. Fewer than half of faculty (45%) reported satisfaction with compensation in relation to colleagues in their fields of similar rank and experience at UK; 24% of faculty were satisfied with their compensation compared to colleagues at benchmark institutions. Only 31% of staff reported satisfaction with their wages. Written comments about compensation included descriptions of economic hardship due to cost of living increases during a three year period of no raises; frustration with senior administration's recent pay increases and bonuses; frustration with perceived salary inequities across the campus, i.e. Athletics, main campus, and Healthcare; frustration with perceived salary compression and limited job mobility within the organization. Mindful of its charge, the Work-Life Advisory Council decided that it was not in a position to form a committee or task force to address compensation issues directly. Rather, it would report these work-life findings to the appropriate senior leaders within the institution, urging them to review the concerns and take action as appropriate and when financially feasible.  

As a consequence of the Work-Life Advisory Council discussions, five issues emerged as the foundation for the Work-Life Action Plan:

  • Childcare
  • Burnout
  • Perceptions of Trust, Communication and Value
  • Career Development
  • Inclusivity/Disparate Treatment.

While elderccare is a top issue for consideration, it can be sufficiently addressed by HR Office of Work-Life Elder Care Program Specialists and consequently is not addressed further in this report. Formal committees have been organized around each of the five issues to examine each issue more closely and develop observations that will be forwarded to the Office of the President in early 2012. Additionally, the council will develop a 4-year action plan to further enhance work-life at UK.

 

Concluding Remarks >>

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