You don't always need to check the weather outside to know which way the wind blows -- you can take the temperature inside the workplace.

That's just what the Office of Administration did when they conducted a "climate survey" of their employees in January and February of this year. As they say, the results are in.

"We undertook this endeavor with the belief that every employee has a right to work in an environment that actively supports our values," said Stan Nosek, vice chancellor for administration. "We now expect this to be an ongoing process within the Office of Administration. And there is a chance it may serve as a model for the rest of the campus."

OOA includes almost 1,500 employees who work in public safety, human resources, employee health, accounting, facilities, architects and engineers, campus events, parking and transportation, materiel management, reprographics, mail, agricultural services, risk management, mediation services, business contracts and environmental health and safety.

The survey polled these employees about their experience at Davis -- what they value in their jobs and workplaces, how much they feel in sync in their unit, and what their satisfactions and frustrations are. The response rate was 56 percent.

Though the survey was new and thus "created some concern among staff and management," Nosek said, many realized that improvements could come from its results. "There is a strong commitment to continuing this method of obtaining employee feedback," he said.

For managers and supervisors, Nosek said, the survey gave them an opportunity to "dialogue openly" with staff on difficult issues through a "safe and supportive" structure and it gave them new "information and tools."

Kathleen Moore, the interim associate vice chancellor for Facilities, Operations and Maintenance, said, "The survey helps us set goals, plan changes and track progress on our work environment, just as we do with other performance measures."

She said changes will happen, so that "over time employees can see and trust that we are listening and taking action."

Reviewing the results

The results showed that many in OOA found strengths in teamwork throughout the unit; the level of staff dedication and commitment to the institution; the adherence in strong customer loyalty practices; the presence of a strong work environment and supportive supervisors.

Some of the top concerns cited were: compensation, classification, rewards and recognition; upward mobility/employee development; supervisory behavior; leadership; management; workload; training; customer service; process improvement; and quality control.

Digging a little deeper, many survey participants said that communication could be enhanced from the better exchange of information with staff and with customers, and the lack of merit pay and market-based pay is another issue. Upward mobility is perceived as lacking, and many respondents suggested that promotion of internal staff over external candidates be highly considered. Finally, participants strongly favor training opportunities and the ability to learn more within one's existing position.

Ron Norman, an assistant superintendent in facilities, described the use of a climate survey as a "major step" in the right direction.

"We've often gotten ourselves bogged down in the technical components of doing what is necessary," he said. "The survey is a good example of how to yield to the positive psychological characteristics of our organization."

One outcome was offering an alternate work schedule that gave employees the choice of working a four-day, 10-hour per day week.

"The most surprising thing was to learn that Wednesday is a popular day off of choice for those individuals who now work a four-day, 10-hour week," said Norman, adding that the unit has experienced a surge in morale since the alternate work schedule took effect in September.

'Fully engaged'

The survey participants were assured of their anonymity. The rate of participant within each department ranged from 26 to 100 percent. Sixty departments comprise OOA.

Nosek emphasized that the success of OOA -- like any unit -- depends on "every employee being fully engaged in their work."

"This is not likely to happen if our work environments are unsupportive of our staff."

As with many new processes, he said, employee skepticism initially arose regarding the outcomes of the survey.

"Particular care was taken in the administration and feedback process so that anonymity was assured and yet the candor of the feedback was retained," said Nosek, adding that each unit examined their individual team results and developed action plans to address key issues as identified by the group.

"It is my highest priority that these action plans be acted on," he said.

Nosek said OOA will continue to develop action plans throughout the rest of the year. Plans call for monitoring the workplace and repeating the survey every 18 months, addressing and identifying new issues as they arise.

It's a bottom-line exercise, he says.

"The benefit of this process is intended increase our productivity and service to the campus in support of our academic mission," said Nosek.

More information about the survey is available at http://vcadmin.ucdavis.edu/climate/results.cfm.