Dear Riverbats,
The results of the 2022 Employee Climate Survey are now available on the Office of Institutional Research and Analytics (OIRA) website.
The College would like to thank the more than 1,800 employees who provided input. Thank you also to OIRA for administering the survey and analyzing the results.
Survey results indicate collegewide ratings improved or remained stable in all categories from 2020 to 2022. These results are remarkable to see in light of the significant changes and challenges we all experienced in the last two years. The largest improvements were in the area of communication, with an 11 percentage point increase in positive responses.
The survey shows there are areas of concern or specific populations that require additional attention. Three areas we would like to focus on in the year ahead include employee concerns regarding the consistent implementation of ACC policies and practices, adequate staffing, and staff perceptions of acceptance without regard to cultural or ethnic diversity. These will be the subject of additional analysis and employee engagement as we seek to better understand the underlying problem and develop strategies for improvement. We also know, overwhelmingly, that COVID-19 and implications thereof remain top-of-mind for employees. This was by far the number one issue employees raised in the open-ended comments.
As a learning organization, we use this information to continue to improve the way we support students and support our employees. For example, prior climate survey results informed the college’s decision to add an omsbudperson and our new employee relations officer and to revise the employee grievance policy. It has also spurred strategic development and growth of collegewide communication efforts like the FacStaff Info Hub and departmental newsletters like the FacStaff Digest, IT Newsletter, and Riverbat Echo.
I hope you will take time to review the findings and discuss them with your teams.
Regards,
Richard M. Rhodes, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Austin Community College District