Events
Staff survey town hall meeting for VCU managers – June 23, 2022
VCU HR hosted an online town hall meeting on June 23 at 10 a.m. for VCU managers to preview the results of the recent staff survey. The survey was conducted in April 2022 and gathered information about which elements of the work experience are most important to employees at this time.
Review the PDF survey results.
Staff focus group meetings with employees 25-30 years old with 1-3 years of Experience – September 15, 2022 (Session one) and September 19, 2022 (Session two)
VCU HR hosted two online focus group meetings with targeted VCU Staff 25-30 years old with 1-3 years of experience. The sessions were held in response to the staff survey in April and high turnover rates among this specific demographic. Staff participated in small breakout groups with one primary facilitator and responded to 8 directed questions. The facilitators provided a short debrief on the overall themes in combined group session.
Review the PDF focus group results.
Background
Aligned with national trends, in CY 2021, staff turnover spiked at 16.4%, a 34% increase over 2018 turnover, and significantly greater than our normal turnover which hovers around 12%. VCU HR conducted this survey in order to learn which elements in the employment relationship are most important to our employees at this point in time. Understanding the drivers of employee retention is mission-critical, given the significant emphasis on retention and engagement of a diverse workforce in the VCU Quest 2028 plan, which directly impacts the ability to achieve all other strategic goals.
The survey was sent to all VCU staff and received 1772 responses with a 48.36% overall response rate. Cabinet leaders and faculty were not included in the survey distribution list. The survey asked employees to rate 15 employment factors on a satisfaction scale of 1 to 5, and then to select the top 4 factors that are most important to their decision to stay employed at VCU.
Key findings:
- In the satisfaction section, 13 of the 15 items were rated positively.
- Merit and market-based pay were rated lowest.
- Pay and work/life balance were the two most important factors in the decision to continue working at VCU, closely followed by benefits and flexible work arrangements.
Takeaways
In response to the survey results and in order to best support schools/units in retention and recruitment efforts, VCU HR will:
- Conduct focus groups to deepen our understanding of the survey results
- Map career paths for all job series (in partnership with school/unit subject matter experts)
- Conduct manager lunch and learn sessions focused on retention strategies
- Provide central support for recruitment and talent pipeline management
- Provide consultation to schools/units with high turnover
- Conduct this survey annually
What can you do?
- In alignment with VCU values, treat everyone with care and respect
- Assist others in their career development – be a trainer, mentor, coach
- Continue to cultivate a sense of belonging with all team members
- Participate in a focus group