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The University held a second pulse staff survey across September and October as part of an ongoing listening and improvement strategy. Staff were invited to give honest views of what it’s like to work at Sussex and to say what they think could be done differently or better.

The previous pulse survey earlier in the year had shown a wide range of improvements since the previous survey in 2018, including staff feeling informed on matters affecting them, receiving constructive feedback from their line manager and feeling valued for what they do.

However, the latest survey raised a number of challenges to address. Only 1,606 staff took part in the latest survey, a response rate of 36%, compared with 2,162 or 48% in the previous one.

As well as a need to increase the completion rate in the next pulse survey, this most recent one highlights several areas we need to improve upon and where our focus needs to be. Our external provider, People Insight, shared the headline findings with the University Leadership Team (ULT) last week and as part of a commitment to openness the University Executive Group (UEG) is keen to ensure all staff now have access to the results.

Vice-Chancellor David Maguire said: “I want to thank everyone who completed the survey. We are now surveying staff every six months so that we can get a really clear picture of how you are feeling – and importantly act on things at pace. Some of the areas where we have seen improvement are as a result of action we have taken since the last survey. Your views do matter and make a difference.

“There have been significant changes during this survey period. Our organisational change programme Size and Shape is at a critical stage, we have had a change in university leadership, there have been sector-wide ballots for industrial action and huge adjustments to new ways of working due to the pandemic. These are significant challenges and appear to have influenced people’s responses.

“There are clearly many important messages in the survey for us to take on board and I will be working with ULT to ensure we are communicating the results and involving people in conversations about the actions we should be taking. As before all areas of the university will be creating and implementing action plans based on the findings.”

The main overall findings are:

• Completion rates: 36% of staff invited completed the survey, against a previous figure of 48% (which was slightly above the response rate in 2018). This figure rises to 44% if we separate out those people on our ‘casual payroll’ i.e., those people who work for us from time to time such as summer school tutors. This completion rate is lower than the sector norm of 50%, based on surveys run by People Insight pre and post pandemic.
• Overall Engagement Score: This overall score (comprising pride in working for the University, commitment to staying here, and recommendation of the University as a great place to work) was 61%, 5% down on the previous survey, and below the sector norm of 69%. Confidence in the institution’s leadership has also seen a decline, with 26% of respondents agreeing that UEG provides effective leadership.
• Improvements: There were some significant gains that we need to build upon. Whilst the percentage of respondents who feel they have experienced bullying or harassment in the past 12 months has increased slightly from 13% to 15%, people are saying that they are more willing to report, an uplift of 10 percentage points to 43%. This increase may be at least partly due to the new Report and Support tool launched in August this year. It was introduced as a direct result of the previous survey in 2021.
• In addition, staff have indicated that appraisals are taking place more consistently, with 80% of respondents saying they had an appraisal in the last 12 months, an uplift of 9%.
• Awareness of the University mentoring scheme has also improved and feeling supported through the pandemic has also edged slightly higher.
• Key opportunities to improve engagement levels: People Insight’s analysis pointed to the importance of ensuring people feel valued, feel they are treated with dignity and respect, and feel they fit in. We also need to build confidence that feedback will be acted on together with a focus on our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

You can read the headline findings from the survey (login required): http://www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/survey/2021

David Ruebain, PVC for Culture, Equality and Inclusion said: “These results highlight our strengths but also where we need to improve and where our focus must be. Data from the survey will allow us to provide disaggregated reports which will soon be available on the website and will be discussed with staff networks, steering groups and self-assessment teams. I look forward to working together on some of the issues that matter most to the Sussex community.”

Sharon Neal, Assistant Director of HR, OD, Culture and Inclusion, said: “Whilst any form of bullying or harassment is unacceptable, I am encouraged that people feel more able to report this when it is happening. We need this to continue. Our new Report and Support tool was launched in August this year in direct response to the first survey of 2021 so Sussex has demonstrated action will be taken in response to feedback.”

Head of School for Psychology and academic lead for the staff survey, Professor Robin Banerjee, said: “The staff survey is an important route for staff to have their say in how the University is run. As one of several new members of the University Executive Group this year, I can tell you that we are taking seriously the concerns raised by staff, alongside what colleagues have told us in the Size and Shape feedback sessions. We are also actively seeking input into the recruitment for our new Vice-Chancellor. We are committed to being an institution that listens to its staff. We might sometimes hear uncomfortable truths, but I know that this kind of collaboration is essential for bringing about positive, meaningful, and lasting changes.”

What’s next:

Over the next few weeks, Heads of School and Divisional Directors will share their local results with teams for discussion and local action planning. Local teams will also be asked to suggest institutional level priorities.

In early January University-level action plans will be shared with all staff and Schools and Divisions will also share their agreed local plans at that time.

Progress on staff survey actions will be monitored by the People, Culture, and Inclusion Committee and by the University’s Executive Group.

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