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Staff survey results mixed

Most staff enjoy their work and would recommend Furman but feel under-appreciated.

According to a recent survey, most Furman staff members are committed to the success of the university enjoy their work, and have confidence in their immediate supervisor.

The poll, conducted last fall, also indicates that a majority of the staff do not think that the administration really understands their concerns or seriously considers employee input.

More than 75 percent of the Furman staff, or 336 people, completed the survey, which was developed by the Personnel Office and Elaine Nocks, a psychology professor. The survey measured staff satisfaction in six major areas: Furman administration, commitment to Furman, compensation, performance review, immediate supervision and work environment.

In recent years, Furman has undergone dramatic changes including new buildings, introduction of new programs, a new strategic plan, the increased competition in obtaining and retaining students, and a new performance review process. Personnel Director Susan Zeiger says that the survey is a good gauge of staff morale and how employees are coping with these changes.

The comments indicated that as staff members have adapted to these changes, they have come to value the people they work with, sense of campus community, the university’s benefit package and the campus environment. However, these changes have had a negative impact in the following ways:

• their perception of pay in relation to their increased workload and increased work expectations
• a reduction of community focus
• the administration’s focus on the "bottom line" versus attention to employees
• the ability to balance work and family.

The survey also indicated:

• Nearly 80 percent of staff care about Furman, feel reasonably secure about their job and would recommend Furman to others.
• Most of the staff (about 60 percent) think Furman is an environment where questions and suggestions are encouraged and where employees are valued as persons.
• Eighty-four percent said they feel their immediate supervisor can be counted on to support his/her employees when they have a problem.
• More than 65 percent of supervisory and professional staff said that they regularly work more than 45 hours per week.
• Sixty-seven percent of the employees said they wanted the performance review process to be used as at least one factor in determining salary increases.

Zeiger says that the survey will be used to develop employee initiatives through the use of employee focus groups who will discuss the issues and make recommendations for improvements. The survey will be administered every few years to measure the changes. A summary of the survey will be sent to all employees this month. Employees may request a complete copy of the survey findings from the Personnel Office.