Vanderbilt University staff are highly satisfied in the work they do, how they collaborate with colleagues and their interactions with their supervisors, according to results of the 2023 Staff Experience Survey conducted in April.
Staff also feel a strong overall sense of belonging at the university and value the direct communications they receive from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, the survey found.
View key findings of the 2023 Staff Experience Survey. >>
More than 77 percent of eligible staff completed the confidential web-based survey, which was administered by an external vendor April 10–May 1. Eligible participants included all part-time and full-time benefits-eligible staff members who are not members of a union.
The survey was an action item of Vanderbilt’s Future of Work initiative, which recommends implementing regular and purposeful surveys to support staff throughout their careers at Vanderbilt. The results also build on the staff census conducted by the university in fall 2022.
“The Staff Experience Survey is an incredibly valuable tool for helping us better understand our staff, with the goal of supporting their professional development and strengthening Vanderbilt’s unique culture of collaboration,” Diermeier said. “I commend our staff members for broadly participating in the survey. The insights they provided will inform decision-making and policy designed to help Vanderbilt progress as a premier institution and employer and help staff reach their fullest potential.”
Key findings of the survey include the following:
- To the statement “My work fits my skills and abilities,” staff agreed with an average score of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale—making it the highest-scoring individual item in the survey.
- Staff gave high scores to items regarding collaboration, including the statements “My colleagues are committed to doing quality work,” “value my ideas and suggestions,” “cooperate to get the job done” and “treat me with respect.”
- Staff also rated their interactions with supervisors highly, including the statements “My supervisor supports my professional development,” “listens to suggestions,” “creates an environment that is trusting and open” and “encourages a healthy work-life balance.”
- When it comes to Vanderbilt’s leadership, staff feel a strong commitment to the university’s mission and highly value Diermeier’s efforts to communicate directly with them.
- There also were areas in need of improvement. For example, the statement “There is open communication throughout all levels of this organization” received the lowest score in the survey. In addition, the survey suggests the university has room for improvement in the areas of employee pay, prospects for career advancement and offering competitive benefits.
Staff response shows strong ‘sense of belonging’
With the 2023 survey, staff for the first time were formally evaluated on a number of items designed to gauge their sense of belonging at the university. These items were scored on a 5.0 scale.
Staff agreed most strongly with the statements “I feel accepted by others,” “I feel cared about as a person by someone in the Vanderbilt community,” “I have relationships at Vanderbilt that are fulfilling” and “I feel safe,” awarding each item an average score of 4.1.
In terms of their overall sense of satisfaction and belonging, 90 percent of staff agreed with the statement “Overall I am satisfied working at Vanderbilt,” and 72 percent agreed with the statement “I belong at Vanderbilt.”
The university asked similar questions regarding belonging when it surveyed undergraduate students during the 2022–23 academic year. It plans to include similar items on upcoming surveys of faculty as well as graduate and professional students as part of a broader effort to evaluate the culture of inclusion and belonging at Vanderbilt.
Follow-up work in response to the 2023 Staff Experience Survey results will continue through the summer and fall of 2023.
“These results provide a powerful road map for moving the university forward. They show us where we are meeting our own high expectations and where we have more work to do,” said Eric Kopstain, vice chancellor for administration. “I invite leadership and staff alike to carefully consider the findings and reflect on how we can use them to make our workplace more collaborative, productive, inclusive and personally fulfilling for each member of the Vanderbilt community.”