Employee Experience Survey

About the Survey

In partnership with ModernThink, Human Resources launched an Employee Experience Survey in Fall 2024. UConn HR endeavors to make an employee experience survey a more frequent exercise, whereas the UConn community and its leaders gain insights into our workforce, its strengths, obstacles, and opportunities for growth.

Pre-Survey

After partnering with ModernThink, Human Resources reviewed their survey tool, making adjustments to individual questions to align with UConn nomenclature (e.g., the use of department head rather than chair), and UConn HR added questions about respect in the workplace, employees' sense of dignity in the workplace, and an open-ended question seeking advice from employees about improving institutional culture.

Representatives from ModernThink met with President Maric's senior leadership team, the Council of Deans, and an advisory group, consisting of individuals from the President's Office, the Provost's Office, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, University Communications, Institutional Research, and the University Senate. Additionally, HR and ModernThink offered union representatives the opportunity to meet privately with ModernThink.

UConn HR has provided non-identifiable demographic data to ModernThink to ensure accurate post-survey data and analysis. Pre-loaded demographic information includes: department, organization/unit, division, union code, job category (e.g., faculty, unclassified, classified, management), tenure status, and faculty title. Employees who complete the survey will be asked to provide additional demographic information, if they choose: years of service, gender, age, race/ethnicity, primary location, supervisor status, disability status, and veteran status. We strongly encourage participants to complete all voluntary demographic questions in order to ensure that the results are representative of the entire UConn community.

Survey Launch

The UConn/ModernThink survey launched on Monday, October 28th, and it will open to employees for 2-3 weeks depending on the overall response rate. Employees will receive a direct communication from ModernThink with access to the survey, because all raw data will be hosted and maintained by ModernThink (i.e., UConn will not have access to any raw data). The survey will be anonymous, and ModernThink will only report out data when at least five individuals from any demographic option have responded. For example, responses from a department with less than five total participants will roll up into the larger unit, such as a school or college and the division. Demographic options with fewer than five respondents do not populate data.

Employees may complete the survey during regular working hours, and HR encourages them to do so. Employees without regular access to a University-provided computer may access the survey from a mobile phone, shared University computer (each employee would need to access the survey from their individual UConn email), or personal computer.

The survey will be available to employees in English or Spanish.

Contact Us

UConn:
Brandon Murray, Manager, Organizational & Staff Development

ModernThink:
Technical Issues: surveys@modernthink.com or (888) 684-4658

General Survey: Liz Flood, Senior Project Manager, (888) 684-4658

Post-Survey

Human Resources anticipates receiving the survey results in late 2024 or early 2025 and sharing the data with the UConn community in Spring 2025. HR endeavors to have senior leaders, including the President, Provost, and CFO, hold town halls on the results and, in addition, for more localized leaders of schools, colleges, and other units to do so the same with their subset of results.

After results are shared, HR will work with leaders across UConn to action plan based on the results, and these action plans will also be shared with the respective communities.

Timeline

Description Date
Pre-Launch Communication Week of October 21
Survey Launch October 28
Survey Closes November 11 November 18
Initial Findings December 2024 / January 2025

Ensuring Survey Confidentiality

As noted above, the UConn/ModernThink survey is anonymous.

The purpose of the survey is to get honest feedback, and to ensure confidentiality UConn is using an external partner (ModernThink) to administer the survey. It is web-based and automated with a secure internet connection.

Each employee will receive an email invitation from ModernThink to participate in the survey. Once employees click on the survey link, they will go directly to ModernThink’s website. UConn has no access to this website. Employee responses will be submitted directly to ModernThink’s database, and all processing will be done by ModernThink. Employees will not be asked to provide their name on the survey.

At no point will any UConn employee see individual survey results; they are combined and only reported back to UConn in the aggregate/grouped format. No one at UConn will know if or how any employee personally responded.

As noted, employees will receive an email directly from ModernThink to access the survey via ModernThink’s private server. Employee email addresses are only used to access the survey and to ensure that only one survey is completed per employee. Emails are purged from ModernThink’ s system once the survey project has been completed.

Demographics

As outlined above, UConn HR has provided non-identifiable demographic data to ModernThink to ensure accurate post-survey data and analysis. Pre-loaded demographic information includes: department, organization/unit, division, union code, job category (e.g., faculty, unclassified, classified, management), tenure status, and faculty title. Employees who complete the survey will be asked to provide additional demographic information, if they choose: years of service, gender, age, race/ethnicity, primary location, supervisor status, disability status, and veteran status.

UConn strongly encourages participants to complete all voluntary demographic questions in order to ensure that the results are representative of the entire UConn community. UConn can do more in action planning and addressesing obstacles or concerns when employees provide more information, including completing the survey, providing voluntary demographic information, and answering open-ended questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is UConn conducting a survey of its faculty and staff?

With a long-term goal of becoming a great place to work in the country, UConn is committed to creating and maintaining an environment that attracts and retains world-class faculty and staff. Gathering faculty and staff perspectives on their work experiences helps the administration understand what currently works and what needs to be improved. Improvement occurs when we openly solicit candid and confidential feedback from all critical stakeholders and act upon this feedback. Disciplined follow-up on the survey findings will help us continue to drive UConn to future success.

Why is now the right time for this survey?

Now more than ever, we need to understand what factors are important to our faculty and staff. UConn is committed to our people and our community and needs to hear from our faculty and staff on our direction and our work environment.

The survey will also provide a starting point (or baseline) for future input from faculty and staff on institutional priorities and needs. The feedback opportunities provided by the survey will be in the form of a continuous process, not a singular event.

Why did HR select ModernThink to administer the survey?

ModernThink LLC is a nationally recognized organization specializing in surveys of this kind for higher education. The higher education benchmark data ModernThink will provide will give UConn valuable insight into how we compare to other schools across the nation.

Are my survey responses confidential?

Yes. The purpose of the survey is to get honest feedback. UConn is using an external partner (ModernThink) to administer the survey. It is web-based and automated with a secure internet connection.

Each employee will receive an email invitation from ModernThink to participate in the survey. Once you click on the survey link, you will go directly to ModernThink’s website. UConn has no access to this website. Your responses will be submitted directly to ModernThink’s database, and all processing will be done by ModernThink. You will not be asked your name on the survey.

At no point will any UConn employee see your individual survey results; they are combined and only reported back to UConn in the aggregate/grouped format. No one at UConn will know if or how you personally responded.

Can’t my email address be used to track my responses?

No. The survey will be completed on ModernThink’s private server. The email address is only used to access the survey and to ensure that only one survey is completed per employee. Emails are purged from ModernThink’ s system once the survey project has been completed.

How was the survey process designed?

A survey team headed by Brandon Murray and ModernThink crafted the survey, based on ModernThink's framework, and HR and ModernThink will partner to administer the survey, ensure confidentiality, and aid in the dissemination of the results.

Why are demographics asked on the survey?

The demographic information (i.e. Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity, etc.) will help better understand the patterns and themes in the survey data. As the confidentiality of your responses is critical, ModernThink will not report your individual demographic data. Group demographic data will only be reported when there are 5 or more respondents in a particular group. Although the demographics are an optional component of the survey, you are strongly encouraged to provide this information.

What areas will the survey focus on?

The survey statements solicit feedback on a broad range of topics focused around the following themes:

  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Confidence in Senior Leadership
  • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
  • Faculty & Staff Well-being
  • Faculty Experience (Faculty & Adjuncts only)
  • Job Satisfaction & Support
  • Mission & Pride
  • Performance Management
  • Professional Development
  • Supervisors/Department Chair Effectiveness

In addition to the 60 core survey statements, the survey will include additional statements that focus on benefits and three open-ended questions.

How much time will it take to complete the survey? How long is the survey and what is the format?

The online survey should take approximately 18 - 22 minutes to complete. If you are unable to complete the survey after you begin, you will have the option to save your responses and access them later.

The survey consists of statements that employees/faculty respond to using a five-point agreement scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Sometimes Agree/Sometimes Disagree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree). Additionally, there is a Not Applicable response option. The survey instrument also includes item benefits satisfaction component and open-ended questions.

There are several demographic questions at the end of the survey (Gender Identity, Age, etc.). Respondents are encouraged to provide responses; however, you have the option of skipping any of the demographic questions.

Why is my participation important?

First, as a UConn faculty or staff member, your voice matters. Second, higher response rates give a more accurate picture of the institution and its individual departments and demographics. This is a significant opportunity for you to share your ideas, opinions, and solutions. Participation from a diverse group of employees enhances the breadth of the feedback, giving the University more to use when action planning.

Is my participation in this survey optional?

Yes, participation is completely voluntary.

Who is eligible to participate in the survey?

All UConn Storrs and regional faculty and staff members of our institution are invited and encouraged to participate in the survey. Special payroll (except adjuncts), graduate assistants, and affiliates or contractors are excluded from the survey. Employees must have been employed as of August 23, 2024, to receive a survey invitation. UConn Health employees are invited to participate in a separate engagement/employee experience survey.

How do I take the survey?

All faculty and staff members will be invited via email to take the survey hosted on ModernThink’s secure website. The survey is available for two weeks and is extended depending on the response rate.

You will be asked to enter a username and password, which will be provided in an e-mail invitation sent to you directly by ModernThink.

You may take the survey at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from work or from home. Internet access is required. Employees taking the survey can use the same workstation, as long as each person properly logs into, and out of, the survey.

Am I allowed to take the survey during the workday?

Yes. Employees may complete the survey during regular working hours, and HR encourages them to do so.

Employees may take the survey at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from work or from home. Internet access is required. Employees taking the survey can use the same workstation, as long as each person properly logs into, and out of, the survey. Employees without regular access to a University-provided computer may also access the survey from a mobile phone or personal computer.

Once I start the survey, can I access it again?

Your answers will be stored each time you select the SAVE & CONTINUE button at the bottom of a survey page. If you get interrupted you can come back to the survey. You will need to log on to the ModernThink survey site to re-access the survey. To protect your confidentiality, you will not be able to access the survey after you click the SUBMIT button on the last page of the survey.

What if I have problems accessing the survey site?

For technical questions or problems with the survey site please contact ModernThink at (888) 684-4658 or surveys@modernthink.com, M-F 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST. After hours, leave a message and your call will be returned as promptly as possible.

How many employees does our institution need to respond to the survey to get the data we need?

While a 100% response rate is not necessary, we like to see as high a response rate as possible. Average response rates for ModernThink surveys typically range between 40% and 65%. During the two weeks the survey is available we will be sharing our response rate with the community at large. We hope that each of you will use this information and opportunity to encourage your colleagues to participate.

Once all the results are received, what’s next?

The President, senior leaders, managers, and HR are committed to gathering feedback, identifying and prioritizing areas of action, sharing the findings with you, and developing follow-up plans to address concerns.

How often will this type of survey occur?

While the formal timeline for the next survey is not yet established, HR intends to repeat this process every two years. This year’s results will provide us with important baseline data so that we chart our progress moving forward.

Who can I contact with additional questions about the employee survey?

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding the survey and/or the survey process, please do not hesitate to contact Contact Info or ModernThink Senior Project Manager Liz Flood at (888) 684-4658 or lflood@modernthink.com.

Past Climate Surveys

In 2012 and 2017, the Something's Happening Committee, a group representing various UConn and union constituencies, conducted workplace climate surveys. The reports from both surveys are available for review, and serve as foundational knowledge for the 2024 UConn Employee Experience Survey.

2017 Workplace Climate Survey

2012 Workplace Civility Climate Survey