Satisfaction Survey Results
Message from Staff Senate President
Dear Colleagues,
This past spring, the UPS-USS Council of the Kansas Board of Regents worked together to conduct a survey on their campuses with support from their administrative leaders. This council represents both Unclassified Professional and University Support Staffs at the six Regents universities — Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Kansas and Wichita State University. The survey focused on topics related to employee satisfaction.
The poll was conducted online during the month of April by the Docking Institute and was emailed to 9,190 total Unclassified Professional and Support Staff employees at the six participating campuses across Kansas. In all, the Docking Institute received 4,053 completed surveys, providing a response rate of 44.1%. At Wichita State University, surveys were emailed to 1,652 UPS and USS employees. The Docking Institute received 619 completed surveys, resulting in a response rate at WSU of 37.5%.
On behalf of the Wichita State University Staff Senate, I am pleased to share the final survey results with you.
First, we want to extend a special thanks to President Rick Muma for agreeing to fund the survey for Wichita State University employees. The results of the poll are available in three separate reports:
One “Combined” UPS and USS Report:
- A report that combines the results of both WSU UPS and USS staff together and compares them to the cumulative statewide six KBOR schools’ UPS and USS staffs combined results. On the website, this report is labeled “Combined UPS and USS Results.”
One WSU UPS Report:
- A report that breaks down the WSU UPS staff results and compares them to the combined UPS staff results at the six statewide KBOR schools. On the website, this report is labeled “UPS Staff Results.”
One WSU USS Report:
- A report that breaks down the WSU USS staff results and compares them to the combined USS staff results at the six statewide KBOR schools. On the website, this report is labeled “USS Staff Results.”
The results of the Docking Institute survey will be presented to KBOR at its December meeting.
Here are a few of the key findings that stood out:
- Regarding morale, 63.9% of respondents answered that morale was either “Extremely Positive” or “Somewhat Positive.”
- A larger percentage of WSU respondents than the other university respondents reported that their work is “Greatly Appreciated” by immediate supervisors, co-workers, department heads, customers/colleagues, and administration.
- When asked reasons for job satisfaction, 87.9% of WSU respondents strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, “I enjoy the things I do at work.”
- Key themes in the open-ended comments included (1) Pay is too low; (2) Allow a flexible schedule; (3) Improve/expand tuition assistance benefits.
As we move forward, our WSU Staff Senate, along with WSU administration, will look closely at the results of the survey to determine what initiatives we can develop on our campus to act on the issues and topics brought forth in the responses. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions as we move forward in this process, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or to your senate representative. We will keep everyone informed through senate updates as we work on developing plans for improvement.
I greatly appreciate your participation in the survey and your commitment to ensuring that Wichita State University remains a great place to work!
Sincerely,
Denise Gimlin
WSU Staff Senate President, 2022-2023
Statewide Results
Statewide USS UPS Poll Report (summary): A report that combines the results of both WSU UPS and USS staff together and compares them to the cumulative statewide six KBOR schools' UPS and USS staffs combined results.
Request a PDF of these results
WSU-Specific Results
WSU UPS Results (summary): A report that breaks down the WSU UPS staff results and compares them to the combined UPS staff results at the six statewide KBOR schools.
Request a PDF of these results
WSU USS Results (summary): A report that breaks down the WSU USS staff results and compares them to the combined USS staff results at the six statewide KBOR schools.
Request a PDF of these results
WSU Comment Results (summary): A report that summarizes the open ended comments from the WSU survey and puts them into themes.
Summary of the Statewide Results
This report is for Wichita State University. Responses to each survey question are provided for all (Statewide) Employees and all WSU Employees.
The Docking Institute’s independent analysis shows the following:
Larger percentages of WSU Employees than Statewide Employees have been employed at their universities for less than 10 years.
When asked to rank (from first to fourth) the importance of various items, “amount of pay or compensation” was ranked first among most respondents (78.9% of Statewide Employees and 80% of WSU Employees). The item with the next highest percentages ranking it first is “recognition for work performed” at 13.8% among Statewide Employees and 11% among WSU Employees.
Regarding work appreciation, most respondents (both statewide and WSU) report that their “work is greatly appreciated” by their immediate supervisors and co-workers. A larger percentage of WSU Employees (52.5%) than Statewide Employees (46.8%) report that their “work is greatly appreciated” by department heads.
Regarding work morale, a larger percentage of WSU Employees (21%) than Statewide Employees (18.1%) rate their morale as “extremely positive.” The single largest percentages of both groups rate their morale as “somewhat positive” (42.9% WSU and 42.9% Statewide).
A smaller percentage of WSU Employees (43.5%) than Statewide Employees (48.6%) report that their morale has worsened “compared to two years ago.”
Of those reporting worsening morale, 47.6% of WSU Employees report that “salary increases have not kept up with costs,” and 41.7% of Statewide Employees report that they “had to take on additional work duties with no/minimal increases in pay.”
Of those reporting that their morale improved, when asked why it had improved, 37.2% of WSU Employees and 34.9% of Statewide Employees report that “the morale of those around me has improved.”
Larger percentages of both Statewide Employees and WSU Employees regard their wages as at least somewhat unreasonable (51.2% and 55.5%, respectively) than consider their wages as at least somewhat reasonable (42.2% and 38.9%), respectively.
A smaller percentage of WSU Employees (28.4%) than Statewide Employees (32%) report having a second job. Of those without second jobs, 42.4% of WSU Employees and 40.8% of Statewide Employees report “considering taking a second job.”
Of those with second jobs or considering taking second jobs, 48.9% and 44.8% (WSU and Statewide, respectively) report that a second job will help them “provide better for their families.”
Of those with second jobs or considering taking second jobs, most (at least 50% of WSU and Statewide Employees) report that health insurance benefits, stable work, enjoyable work, and to maximize their retirement benefits are reasons to remain at the university.
Regarding job satisfaction, more than 80% of WSU Employees and Statewide Employees “agree” or “strongly agree” that they “enjoy the things they do at work.” About 80% of both groups “agree” or “strongly agree” that they are “sufficiently trained to complete their duties.” About 75% or more “agree” or “strongly agree” that they have “generally positive work environments.” More than half of WSU Employees and Statewide Employees “agree” or “strongly agree” that their workloads are “reasonable.”
Regarding important incentives or opportunities, about 43.3% of WSU Employees and 41.5% of Statewide Employees consider “flextime or flexible hours” as “very important.” About 34% of both groups consider “improved healthcare benefits” as “very important.”
When asked about the value of health insurance, about a third of both groups rate it “fair value and high cost” and about a third of both groups rate it as “fair value at fair cost.”
When asked about the impact of budget limitations, 70.1% of WSU Employees and 71.5% of Statewide Employees report that budget limitations have led to an “increase in duties.”
41.5% of Statewide Employees and 42.3% of WSU Employees reported looking for a different job within the past year or so. Of those looking for a different job, 57.3% of Statewide Employees and 50.2% of WSU Employees report that they are interested in other ON-CAMPUS employment, and in response to a separate question, 90.9% and 92.6% (Statewide and WSU, respectively) report being interested in OFF-CAMPUS employment.
WSU-Specific Results
This report is for Wichita State University. Responses to each survey question are provided for all (Statewide) UPS Employees and WSU UPS Employees.
The Docking Institute’s independent analysis shows the following:
Large percentages of WSU UPS Employees (63.3%) and Statewide UPS Employees (58.3%) have been employed at their universities for fewer than 10 years.
When asked to rank (from first to fourth) the importance of various items, “amount of pay or compensation” was ranked first among most respondents (77.4% of Statewide UPS Employees and 78.6% of WSU UPS Employees). The item with the next highest percentages ranking it first is “recognition for work performed” at 14.8% among Statewide UPS Employees and 11.9% among WSU UPS Employees. A larger percentage of Statewide UPS Employees (35.9%) than WSU UPS Employees (33.6%) ranked “recognition for work performed” second. A larger percentage of WSU UPS Employees (36.5%) than Statewide UPS Employees (32.7%) ranked “additional incentives or perks” second.
Regarding work appreciation, most respondents report that their “work is greatly appreciated” by their immediate supervisors and co-workers. A larger percentage of WSU UPS Employees (51%) than Statewide UPS Employees (48.2%) report that their “work is greatly appreciated” by department heads.
Regarding work morale, a larger percentage of WSU UPS Employees (21.1%) than Statewide UPS Employees (18.7%) rate their morale as “extremely positive.” The largest percentage of both groups rate their morale as “somewhat positive” (44.2% of WSU UPS Employees and 44.6% of Statewide UPS Employees). A smaller percentage of WSU UPS Employees (42.9%) than Statewide UPS Employees (47.7%) report that their morale has worsened “compared to two years ago.” When asked why their morale has worsened, 41.6% of Statewide UPS Employees and 39.4% of WSU UPS Employees report that they “complete additional work duties with no or minimal pay increase.” Considerable percentages of both groups (42.3% of WSU UPS Employees and 36.5% of Statewide UPS Employees) report that their “salary increases haven’t kept up with costs.” Of those reporting that their morale improved, when asked why it had improved, 33.5% of Statewide UPS Employees and 36% of WSU UPS Employees report that the “morale of those around me has improved,” while 32.9% and 36.4% report that the “future of my position is less uncertain” among Statewide UPS Employees and WSU UPS Employees, respectively.
A larger percentage of Statewide UPS Employees (46.4%) than WSU UPS Employees (42.0%) report than their wages are at least “somewhat reasonable.” A larger percentage of WSU UPS Employees (51.9%) than Statewide UPS Employees (47.2%) find their wages at least “somewhat unreasonable.”
Similar percentages of WSU UPS Employees (27.1%) and Statewide UPS Employees (28%) report having a second job. Of thosewithout second jobs, 40.2% of WSU UPS Employees and 38.2% of Statewide UPS Employees report “considering taking a secondjob.” Of those with second jobs or considering taking second jobs, 48.7% and 44.3% (WSU and Statewide, respectively) reportthat a second job will help them “provide better for their families.”
Of those with second jobs or considering taking second jobs, more than 70% of both groups report that university employmentprovides health insurance benefits and stable employment. More than 50% of both groups report that enjoyment of the workthey do and to maximize their retirement benefits are important reasons for continued university employment.
Regarding job satisfaction, more than 80% of WSU UPS Employees and Statewide UPS Employees “agree” or “strongly agree”that they “enjoy the things they do at work” and that they are “sufficiently trained to complete their duties.” Almost 80% have“generally positive work environments.”
Regarding important incentives or opportunities, more than half of WSU UPS and State UPS Employees consider “flextime orflexible hours,” “improved healthcare benefits,” and “on-the-job training” as “very important” or “extremely important.”
When asked about the value of health insurance, the single largest percentage of both groups rate it as “fair value and fair cost”at 38.6% among Statewide UPS Employees and 36.2% among WSU UPS Employees. About a third of each group find healthinsurance to be of “fair value at high cost.”
When asked how budget limitations have impacted their jobs, more than 60% of both groups report that their “duties haveincreased“ and the “quantity of work they perform has increased.”
About the same percentages of WSU UPS Employees (43.9%) and Statewide UPS Employees (42%) report looking for a differentjob within the past year or so. Of those looking for a different job, 56.3% of Statewide UPS Employees and 50.2% of WSU UPSEmployees report that they are interested in other on-campus employment, and in response to a separate question, 90.9% and91.5% (Statewide and WSU, respectively) report being interested in off-campus employment.”
This report is for Wichita State University. Responses to each survey question are provided for all (Statewide) USS Employees and WSU USS Employees.
The Docking Institute’s independent analysis shows the following:
A larger percentage of Statewide USS Employees than WSU USS Employees has been employed at their university for less than 5 years.
When asked to rank (from first to fourth) the importance of various items, “amount of pay or compensation” was ranked first among most respondents (82.3% of Statewide USS Employees and 85% of WSU USS Employees). The item with the next highest percentages ranking it first is “recognition for work performed” at 11.5% among Statewide USS Employees and 7.5% among WSU USS Employees. Similar percentages of Statewide USS Employees (38.1%) and WSU USS Employees (38.3%) ranked “recognition for work performed” second. A smaller percentage of WSU USS Employees (35.8%) than Statewide USS Employees (36.9%) ranked “additional incentives or perks” second.
Regarding work appreciation, most respondents report that their “work is greatly appreciated” by their immediate supervisors and co-workers. A larger percentage of WSU USS Employees (58.1%) than Statewide USS Employees (43.5%) report that their “work is greatly appreciated” by department heads.
Regarding work morale, a larger percentage of WSU USS Employees (20.9%) than Statewide USS Employees (16.8%) rate their morale as “extremely positive.” A smaller percentage of WSU USS Employees (45.7%) than Statewide USS Employees (51%) report that their morale has worsened “compared to two years ago.” When asked why their morale has worsened, 66.1% of WSU USS Employees and 43.6% of Statewide USS Employees report that “salary increases haven’t kept up with costs.” Of those reporting that their morale improved, when asked why it had improved, 41.5% of WSU USS Employees and 38.4% of Statewide USS Employees report that “the morale of those around me has improved.”
A larger percentage of Statewide USS Employees (31.9%) than WSU USS Employees (27.2%) report that their wages are at least “somewhat reasonable.” A larger percentage of WSU USS Employees (69%) than Statewide USS Employees (60.8%) report that their wages are at least “somewhat unreasonable.”
A smaller percentage of WSU USS Employees (33.3%) than Statewide USS Employees (41.6%) report having a second job. Of those without second jobs, 51.8% of WSU USS Employees and 48.3% of Statewide USS Employees report “considering taking a second job.” Of those with second jobs or considering taking second jobs, 49.4% and 45.7% (WSU and Statewide, respectively) report that a second job will help them “provide better for their families.”
Of those with second jobs or considering taking second jobs, more than 60% of both groups report that university employment provides health insurance benefits and stable work; and that they are working at the university to maximize their retirement benefits.
Regarding job satisfaction, 85% of WSU USS Employees and 80% of Statewide USS Employees “agree” or “strongly agree” that they “enjoy the things they do at work.” More than 70% of both groups “agree” or “strongly agree” that they are “sufficiently trained to complete their duties,” while more than 65% have “generally positive work environments.”
Regarding important incentives or opportunities, majorities of WSU USS and State USS Employees consider “improved healthcare benefits” and “on-the-job training” as “extremely important” or “very important.”
When asked about the value of health insurance, a higher percentage of WSU USS Employees (36.5%) rate it as “fair value at high cost” than Statewide USS Employees (34.7%). A higher percentage of Statewide USS Employees (36%) than WSU USS Employees (29.4%) rate it as “fair value and fair cost.”
When asked how budget limitations have impacted their jobs, more than 60% of both groups report than their “duties have increased“ and the “quantity of work they perform has increased.”
A larger percentage of Statewide USS Employees (40.3%) than WSU USS Employees (36.4%) report looking for a different job within the past year or so. Of those looking for a different job, 56.7% of Statewide USS Employees and 50% of WSU USS Employees report that they are interested in other on-campus employment, and in response to a separate question, 90.9% and 97.8% (Statewide and WSU, respectively) report being interested in off-campus employment.
The Docking Institute Staff satisfaction survey offered respondents the opportunity to respond to several open-ended questions:
Additional High Importance Items
Additional Job Satisfaction Items/Issues
Additional Incentives or Opportunities
Additional Comments
In all four comments sections, there were three primary responses – (a) Pay needs to be increased; (b) We need flexible schedules; (c) improve/expand tuition assistance program.
We’ve categorized the responses into four main themes – Pay, Benefits, Flexibility, and Concerns.
PAY
Increase base pay to the level shown in the market-based study
Use experience and education to determine base pay amount
Provide increase for completing educational credentials while in position
Merit pay; tie pay increase to performance evaluation
Bonuses
For all employees when the university is doing well (enrollment increases)
As a percentage of the money that a division brings in (Centers, etc.)
Longevity/Loyalty – increase or bonuses to reflect years of service
For service recognition, provide a gift that increases in value for additional years of service (5 year gift same as 50 year gift currently)
BENEFITS
Improve/Expand Tuition Benefits o Tuition assistance for non-degree enrollments (certificates/licensure)
Tuition assistance for spouse/child at the graduate level
Tuition assistance for WSU employees to attend WSU Tech
Tuition assistance for WSU employees to attend other KBOR institutions
Tuition assistance for WSU employees to attend other schools
Professional development opportunities
Improve Insurance benefits o Reduce deductibles
Improve prescription benefits
Improve vision benefits
Leave time
Paid Holiday break
Assistance with childcare/elder care
Student loan repayment/loan forgiveness for employees
Provide more free/discounted services/goods for employees o Free sporting event tickets
Free campus event tickets
Discounts at all dining services on campus
Larger discount at the Shocker Store
Free gym membership
Improved STARS benefits
FLEXIBILITY
Remote work
Hybrid work
Flexible schedules (outside usual 8 – 5 schedule)
CONCERNS
Workload has become unmanageable
Need to fill vacant positions/increase staff in overloaded areas
Leaders need better training and accountability o Need consequences for leaders who are not performing well
Reduce instances of workplace bias/favoritism/nepotism
Consider 360 degree evaluation for leaders
Unhappy with Human Resources o Service (seen as a roadblock, not a partner)
Responsiveness (cannot reach a person directly)
Inconsistency
There is no clear path for career advancement
There were also positives in the responses. For instance, a number of respondents indicated that WSU was a great place to work, that their workplace was positive, and that they love what they do.