More than 2,000 University of Oregon employees have completed the climate survey in the first week.
The IDEAL Climate Survey of UO Employees is gathering insights and information through a confidential survey administered by Gallup, a nationally recognized workplace survey firm. The survey closes on April 29, but employees are encouraged to take the survey as soon as possible by using a link sent to their email or by visiting the Gallup website and entering their UO 95 number when prompted for the survey code.
Members of employee groups representing faculty, officers of administration, classified employees and graduate employees are speaking out about why they believe it is important for people to participate in the survey.
“I answered the survey so I could make my voice heard. I want UO to know what it’s doing right and what it needs to do better at. The more of us take this survey, the more UO has to listen to us.”
-Sanjay Srivstava, professor of psychology, faculty member
“The goal of the survey is to identify areas of improvement for the culture at the University of Oregon; therefore, we need as many different voices as possible and perspectives on the culture to establish what has been going on. The human experience is varied and vast and their experiences matter too. “
-Kersey Bars, painter, Service Employee International Union member
“This survey presents a unique opportunity to bring a collective voice to our individual experiences and help identify trends, patterns, or potential issues that need to be addressed. This opportunity is very important for officers of administration because we do not have a collective bargaining process to address workplace climate. I trust that if we step up to complete the survey and are honest about our experiences, the results provided by Gallup will amplify individual voices, particularly those that have gone unheard or are often marginalized. Campus leaders have allocated resources to set priorities and take action.”
-Sara Mason, job and internship developer, Officers of Administration Council member
“Graduate employees are simultaneously scholars, researchers and students. The intersection of these roles results in an experience that is very different than other employees and provides a unique perspective on the UO climate. Many GEs feel overlooked and unheard. Taking this survey provides us with a new opportunity to provide honest feedback anonymously. And, knowing that the survey results are managed and rigorously administered by a reputable third party, offers added reassurance, especially for those who are underrepresented and marginalized groups.”
-Heather Terral, graduate teaching fellow, Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation member
The survey began on April 11 and runs for three weeks. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and is available in English and Spanish. Supervisors will allow employees to complete the survey as part of their workday, and the survey will be accessible on smart phones, laptops, desktops and tablets.
The idea to administer a survey came out of diversity action planning at the university as part of the IDEAL framework, built on the pillars of inclusion, diversity, evaluation, achievement and leadership.
Planning for a survey began in 2017. The university had originally hoped to conduct the survey in 2020 but was delayed by the operational disruption caused by the pandemic.
The survey is confidential. Gallup is anonymized individual responses and results before sharing with the university. When the campus-wide results are published, survey responses will be reported in the aggregate. When survey responses are shared at the school, college and departmental level, the reporting will be done in a way that safeguards confidentiality and anonymity.
University leaders are committed to using the results to plan and take action on reinforcing what is working, address what isn’t working, and make other necessary changes to improve workplace culture.
Additional information about the survey is available on the webpage for the IDEAL Climate Survey of Employees, including a list of frequently asked questions.