The UNC System Employee Engagement Survey, administered to senior leadership, faculty and staff in February 2020, measured employee satisfaction in 15 broad areas ranging from professional development and compensation to communication and fairness. Fifty-seven percent of NC State employees responded. View a PowerPoint presentation with more information about the survey results.
NC State’s overall average rating on the survey was more favorable than the UNC System average and similar to the overall average rating for the four-year public institutions that participated in the 2019 Great Colleges to Work For survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
For none of the 15 topical areas did NC State’s overall ratings fall in the “poor” or “warrants attention” classification. Four areas were classified as “very good to excellent” (Pride, Facilities, Supervisors/Department Chairs, and Job Satisfaction/Support), with about three-fourths of employees overall giving favorable ratings to each. Another three areas (Senior Leadership, Professional Development, and Teaching Environment), were rated “good” by about two-thirds of employees.
A majority of NC State employees gave a favorable response of “strongly agree” or “agree” to 54 of the 61 specific aspects of work that were surveyed. Thirteen specific items on the survey received favorable ratings from at least 75% of employees across all job categories:
- I understand how my job contributes to this institution’s mission.
- This institution actively contributes to the community.
- I am proud to be part of this institution.
- This institution takes reasonable steps to provide a safe and secure environment for the campus.
- I have a good relationship with my supervisor/department chair.
- I am given the responsibility and freedom to do my job.
- My supervisor/department chair supports my efforts to balance my work and personal life.
- Overall, my department is a good place to work.
- My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
- My supervisor/department chair regularly models this institution’s values.
- There is a good balance of teaching, service and research at this institution.
- Our senior leadership has the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for institutional success.
- All things considered, this is a great place to work.
The survey also revealed challenges and opportunities. Overall, 20% or more of NC State employees gave an unfavorable rating of “strongly disagree” or “disagree” to eight of the 61 items on the survey:
- I am paid fairly for my work.
- My department has adequate faculty/staff to achieve our goals.
- Changes that affect me are discussed prior to being implemented.
- Promotions in my department are based on a person’s ability.
- Issues of low performance are addressed in my department.
- Our recognition and rewards programs are meaningful to me.
- I am regularly recognized for my contributions.
- Our review process accurately measures my job performance.
Selected Results by Topical Area
Below we provide brief summaries of responses to various specific items surveyed in the questionnaire, grouped by topic area. Response options included a “sometimes agree and sometimes disagree” option. Therefore, it is important to remember that if, for example, 70% of employees gave a favorable response, that does not mean the remaining 30% gave an unfavorable rating. Typically, a large number of respondents who did not give a favorable rating selected the neutral response.
These summaries are for respondents overall, not broken down by demographics such as age, race or gender. Although a change of one percentage point from 2018’s responses may not be statistically significant, we may include the information in the summary to indicate a trend.
Overall, 78% of employees say their jobs make good use of their skills, the same percentage as 2018. However, the percentage who say they have the resources they need to be effective in their job dropped two percentage points to 62%.
58% agree that teaching is appropriately recognized in the evaluation and promotion process, a slight increase of one percentage point over 2018. But 25% have a neutral response and 17% give a negative response. 76% say there is a good balance of teaching, service and research at NC State, and 64% say there is appropriate recognition of innovative and high-quality teaching.
73% say they are given the opportunity to develop their job skills, but fewer see a clear path to moving up in the organization. Just 60% agree and 18% disagree that they understand the necessary requirements to advance their career at NC State.
Only 35% say they are fairly paid for their work, down five percentage points from 2018. 41% disagree with the statement, an increase of seven percentage points over 2018, and 24% give neutral responses. But 73% agree that NC State’s policies support their efforts to manage their work and personal lives, the same percentage as 2018. 61% agree that NC State’s benefits meet their needs, but 13% disagree and 26% have neutral responses.
84% say NC State takes reasonable steps to provide a safe and secure environment for the campus, the same percentage as 2018. But 14% disagree that the facilities adequately meet their needs, a negative trend of two percentage points compared to 2018.
This topic area had a range of both highly positive and highly negative responses. 85% agree that the university actively contributes to the community and 67% say NC State is well run. But 35% disagree that their department has adequate personnel to achieve its goals, up from 33% in 2018. 54% agree and 20% disagree that the review process accurately measures job performance, with 26% giving neutral responses. The percentage who agree that NC State places sufficient emphasis on having a diverse workforce dropped four percentage points to 69%.
The percentage of positive responses increased for two of the five questions in this topic area. 84% say they are proud to be part of this institution and 57% say NC State culture is special — a slight increase of one percentage point over 2018 for both statements. 89% agree that they understand how their job contributes to NC State’s mission, 78% say their department is a good place to work, and 75% say that, all things considered, NC State is a great place to work. 57% agree NC State’s culture is special, while 15% disagree and 28% give neutral responses.
83% say they have a good relationship with their supervisor or department chair, down just one percentage point from 2018. And 76% say their supervisor regularly models NC State’s values, the same percentage as 2018. But four statements elicited double-digit negative responses: 13% disagree that they receive helpful feedback from their supervisor, 13% disagree that their supervisor actively solicits their ideas, 11% disagree that their supervisor is consistent and fair, and 10% disagree that their supervisor has clear expectations.
58% say senior leadership communicates openly about important matters, an increase of two percentage points over 2018, but 12% disagree and 30% have neutral responses. 63% say they believe what they are told by senior leadership, a slight increase of one percentage point over 2018, while 10% disagree and 26% are neutral. 75% say senior leadership has the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for institutional success, and 73% say senior leadership regularly models this institution’s values.
69% say faculty, administration and staff work together to ensure the success of programs and initiatives, while 7% disagree and 25% are neutral. But communication among faculty, administration and staff is rated lower, with 51% agreeing and 15 disagreeing that the groups have regular and open communication.
Only 45% agree that changes that affect employees are discussed prior to being implemented, with 22% disagreeing and 34% giving neutral responses. 61% agree that when they offer a new idea, they believe it will be fully considered, down three percentage points from 2018. And 60% say their departments communicate openly about issues that impact employees’ work, while 15% disagree and 25% give neutral responses.
66% agree that people in their department work well together, down two percentage points from 2018, while 9% disagree and 24% give neutral responses. 53% agree that there’s a sense that “we’re all in this together” at NC State, while 17% disagree and 31% give neutral responses to this statement.
Positive responses to four of the five statements in this topic area decreased compared to 2018. 71% say NC State has clear and effective procedures for dealing with discrimination, down three percentage points from 2018. 62% agree they can speak up or challenge a traditional way of doing something without fear, down one percentage point from 2018. Two statements had significant percentages of negative responses. 25% disagree that promotions are based on ability and 24% disagree that issues of low performance are addressed in their departments. 61% agree NC State’s policies and practices ensure fair treatment for faculty, administration and staff, while 12% disagree and 27% are neutral.
This topic elicited a range of positive and negative responses. Only 40% agree that NC State’s awards and recognition programs are meaningful to them, while 28% disagree and 32% have neutral responses. 68% agree that we celebrate significant milestones and important accomplishments at this institution, the same percentage as 2018. Positive responses fell three percentage points for two statements in 2020 compared to 2018. 74% say people at NC State are supportive of their colleagues regardless of their heritage or background. 51% say they are regularly recognized for their contributions, with 21% disagreeing and 27% giving neutral responses.
On the 2020 survey, the UNC System Office added a new belief statement: My institution is committed to building a culture that actively promotes diversity and inclusion for students, faculty, and staff.
At NC State, 73% gave positive responses to the statement, while 7% gave negative responses and 19% were neutral.
View 2018 Results