I was pleased to share the results of our recent Employee Engagement Survey at the online session on April 15 and to see our values and commitment to student success reflected so strongly in the survey.
Gathering feedback on our workplace culture has been a regular practice since 2006 and is an essential tool in our pursuit of continuous improvement. I am grateful that so many of you completed this survey – as Niagara College continues to post higher-than-average participation rates.
Importantly, actions that responded to our 2021 survey results have resulted in meaningful increases in key areas of this year’s survey. Initiatives that were driven by the 2021 results include the new ExperieNCe Award, expanded eligibility for tuition assistance, enhanced communications of College news and events, and increased collaboration around major College initiatives.
Overall employee engagement at NC climbed slightly to 84% – an increase from 2021 – and we continue to be among the top 10% of post-secondary institutions surveyed by our provider, Talent Map.
As we continue to advance the work of our ambitious Strategic Plan, it inspires great confidence that over 90% of employees are proud to say they work for NC, and 83% are optimistic about the future of our College.
The areas of the survey with the most significant improvements included:
- Focus on students: Nearly 90% of employees ranked student focus as one of the key strengths of our college. The results show just how much NC faculty and staff care about the success of our students, and I am mindful that constructive feedback is indicative of how much our employees care and want to improve and innovate for the betterment of students.
- Career and professional development: Up by four points from 2021 with an overall score of 84%, employees report feeling that they can make a difference and do great work at the College. 90% say their work provides them with a sense of accomplishment. More employees ranked their career development prospects high compared to the last survey.
- Immediate management: Responses indicate gains in employee confidence in management. More employees reported that their managers set clear goals and expectations, were open to new ideas, were caring, and provided effective feedback.
- College-wide communications: Responses show a marked increase in college-wide communications with employees giving high scores for effective processes and channels for information-sharing.
- Executive leadership: Up by eight points from 2021, responses reflect that the executive team has set a clear vision for the future of NC with more ambitious yet realistic goal-setting and clear communication about those goals. Responses also indicate an improvement in the executive team demonstrating NC’s commitment to being student-focused, welcoming, trailblazing, and passionate.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion continues to rank high and is an important focus for our employees. More employees than in 2021 reported that diverse identities, ideas, and ways of thinking are valued at the College, reflecting the success of the ongoing efforts of our EDI Blueprint.
The results have also identified opportunities for growth and improvement, including more effective processes for information-sharing within schools and departments, more and better opportunities for continuous learning, and improved ways of work to support innovation.
A recording of the April 15 webinar outlining the results of our Employee Engagement Survey was shared via email. I strongly encourage all employees to review the results of the survey and to direct any questions you may have to your manager.
Moving forward, supervisors will share the departmental results from the survey with their teams and develop action plans to be implemented over the next two years as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.
Thank you for participating in the survey. We recognize the enormous value of your insight as we shape the future of our college and these results are a source of great pride and a testament to our organizational culture – our collective sense of community, caring, and collaboration – which is key to NC’s competitive advantage.
