30% Complete Employee Engagement Survey — So Far

Editor’s note: The survey deadline was recently extended to Monday, April 18. Check your email for the link.

Nearly a third of NC State faculty and staff have completed the UNC System Employee Engagement Survey since the survey went live 10 days ago. The deadline for completing the online questionnaire is Monday, April 11, although it’s likely the UNC System will extend the survey one week.

This year’s survey is particularly important as the university resets priorities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees took the 2020 survey just weeks before the pandemic hit the United States, upending business as usual and forcing NC State to reduce campus operations.

“The pandemic changed so much about the way we work,” says Tim Danielson, NC State’s new associate vice chancellor for human resources. “This year’s survey lets us look at our processes and priorities with fresh eyes — to see what’s working and what we may be able to improve.”

Danielson urges all employees to weigh in.

“In my time in higher education, I’ve never worked at an institution that reached out to every employee to hear their thoughts and concerns,” he says. “I hope everyone takes this opportunity to have their say. Even if changes don’t always come as quickly as we hope, they won’t come at all unless we all speak up.”

Survey results augment other efforts to include employees in the university’s decision-making process, such as strategic planning, the Staff Senate and the Faculty Senate.

“NC State has a strong tradition of shared governance,” says RaJade M. Berry-James, chair of the faculty and a professor of public administration. “The survey is another way for faculty to participate in setting priorities to further the mission and advance strategic initiatives at our university.”

Response Rates So Far

Response rates vary across the university’s colleges and units. The chancellor’s office is leading the pack, with 62% of its 39 employees finishing the survey so far. The Provost’s Office and University Advancement are next in line with response rates of 54% and 51% respectively. The Graduate School leads the colleges with a response rate of 41%.

All full-time, permanent employees should have received an email providing a link to the survey from ModernThink, the survey administrator. If you didn’t receive a survey email or if you can’t find it, contact the ModernThink helpline at (888) 684-4658.

See below for the response rates for select colleges and units as of Wednesday, April 6.