Beginning next week, Queen’s faculty and staff will have a chance to provide their views on workplace organizational culture at the university. Scheduled to be delivered via email to all employees on Monday, April 25, the Employee Experiences Survey is designed to provide the university with a deeper understanding of employees’ current opinions on and experiences in their workplace. 

Survey results will help establish benchmarks to assist the university with building responsive and supportive programming to address employees’ needs. The results will also provide a benchmark to measure progress with respect to strengthening organizational culture, employee wellbeing, and a shared sense of belonging. This work aligns with one of the six primary institutional goals set out in the new Queen’s Strategy.

“Among our institution’s core values are truth, responsibility, respect, freedom, and wellbeing,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “Effectively realizing these values is dependent upon opportunities for us to live these values day-to-day in our workplace. This survey marks the first of many steps Queen’s will make toward understanding and strengthening our university’s organizational culture—a core component of Queen’s future success.”

Divided into three subject areas, the survey will seek feedback from employees on their individual workplace role and wellbeing, team performance, and the organization at large. Respondents will have opportunities to share insights on several topics, including job clarity, work/life balance, team communication, resources and supports, career advancement, diversity and inclusivity, and more.

“Queen’s employees are critical to us achieving the important priorities laid out in our university’s strategy,” says Steven Millan, Associate Vice-Principal (Human Resources). “It is more important than ever for us to look at key aspects of the employee experiences at Queen’s including wellbeing, workplace culture, and feelings of belonging. We hope the insights gained through this work will help us collectively move forward.”

The confidential survey is being administered by external provider Metrics@Work, a leading human resources firm experienced in organizational measurement and employee engagement, that worked directly with a university advisory board with diverse representation from across the Queen's community to develop the survey.

“In assessing organizational culture, we need to ensure that everyone’s experiences, including those who face systemic exclusion, are reflected,” says Stephanie Simpson, Associate Vice-Principal (Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusion), who is co-leading efforts to operationalize the Organizational Culture pillar of the Strategy alongside AVP Millan. “This survey represents just one more step in carefully assessing what 'being in community' actually requires of us and the work to be done to get us there.”

The confidential survey will be open from April 25 – May 13. It should take less than 30 minutes to complete and should be filled out during work hours. To encourage high levels of participation, Queen’s will offer random prize draws for respondents and will arrange for a summer celebration event should the response rate exceed 50 per cent. Faculty and staff can learn more about the survey, frequently asked questions, and more on the Employee Experiences Survey webpage. University-wide results for the survey will be shared in Fall 2022.