From the Chancellery
by Hilary Winchester
Pro Vice Chancellor: Organisational Strategy and Change
Any
institution is the sum of the skills, energy and efforts of its people.
UniSA is served by people of great distinction, and, with almost 3000 staff, our strengths are many and varied.
The recent Australian Universities Quality Agency Audit commended the University for our attention to the training and development needs of staff and for the services we provide.
However, to
help gauge our performance more accurately and to learn more about the
needs of staff on an institution-wide scale, we regularly carry out a
Staff Attitude Survey.
The first Survey was conducted in 1999; the most recent in 2002.
Both surveys provided extremely useful information about staff perceptions on where we are performing well and where improvements are needed.
In
response, many positive changes have been implemented by the University,
including increased learning and development opportunities for staff;
significant improvements to internal communications; development of
awards to acknowledge achievement; and initiatives to strengthen the
UniSA culture (including quiz nights, family days, and revues).
This month, all University staff will be invited to complete the third
Staff Attitude Survey.
The confidential online questionnaire seeks to discover how the University is travelling in relation to valuing, supporting and rewarding our staff.
As a large, complex, multi-campus, multi-location organisation, it also provides a secure avenue for uncovering any issues in the local workplace.
The process is independently managed by a Melbourne-based consulting firm and the results are benchmarked against previous results and those of similar surveys contained in the consulting firm’s database.
This year’s Survey will be similar to the previous one, but also with a focus on UniSA’s priorities such as the online strategy, stronger performance management processes, and the values placed on research.
This approach ensures consistency but also enables the University to benchmark its results against the higher education sector and other relevant organisations.
Details about the 2005 UniSA Staff Attitude Survey will be distributed by email to all staff in the week commencing August 8.
This will be shortly followed by an email from the consulting firm containing a link and password to the survey. We encourage all staff to participate.
It is the quality of our staff – academic and general – and their willingness to commit themselves to give of their best which makes us successful.
To ensure their ongoing commitment, and to continue to attract outstanding people, the University is dedicated to the continuous improvement of our working environments and the services we provide to staff, students and the wider UniSA community.
The Staff Attitude Survey is just one of the ways in which we seek the thoughts, opinions and ideas and of our people, as we strive to maintain UniSA as an employer of choice in the marketplace.