Last September, the employee survey was carried out among the UT employees for the third time in six years by the Effectory research firm. The Executive Board was informed about the general results of the survey on 23 November.
A total of 50.3% (1,411) of employees filled out the questionnaire in September, a slight drop compared to the previous measurement in 2012, when the response was 56.7% (1,800). The UT scored a 7.2 on enthusiasm and 7.0 on commitment and satisfaction. The overall score in the last measurement was slightly higher, averaging on 7.4.
Some striking results were that UT employees are positive about the avenues for further development offered by the university, and that employees feel that everyone is offered ample opportunity to do what they are good at. Collegiality and collaboration received very positive assessments, scoring no less than 8.1. The staff also fully supports the UT’s objectives. The workload remains an issue requiring attention, but this year’s response rated this problem lower than in the 2012 measurement. Other points of focus are the practical realisation of visions and goals, decreasing the amount of paperwork, and improving internal communications and collaborations with colleagues from outside one’s own discipline and/or unit.
“The Board understands and recognises the results. In general, we are all quite satisfied with the UT’s working conditions. There are nevertheless several points that require additional attention. It is a priority of the Board to discuss these issues seriously and thoroughly. In the coming period, we will take time to do this,” said President of the Board Victor van der Chijs.
Some initiatives regarding a number of points of focus are already underway. There is currently a pilot running within HR and CES that addresses performance management, focusing on working towards results through the annual interviews. This way, the relation between individual contributions to the UT’s vision and goals and aiming for results finds a practical and visible realisation. The university also introduced ‘lean’ working into its services, to make processes more efficient, to reduce the amount of paperwork, and to stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations. In the past year, we were also able to realise several subsections of the UT “Vision 2020” through a number of projects, including CuriousU Summer School, Strategic Business Development, DesignLab, Classroom of the future, the first two MOOCs, and preparations for the English bachelor programmes.
In the coming months, the Executive Board will enter discussions with deans, scientific directors, directors of services, and the participation council to discuss the points that require additional attention. The Board also asks that all managers discuss the results of the survey within their own departments. The Board invites input from the primary and the support processes geared towards the further development of the organisation and towards what is needed to make the UT an even better, more engaging and efficient organisation to work for.
Contact person
Bertyl Lankhaar, Executive Board Spokesperson, tel. +31 (0)53 489 2210
More information: you can find the summary of the report on the Intranet via the UT network or VPN- connection.
