Staff Survey results are revealed

The Survey, which was conducted by independent researchers Capita during October and November, set out to question staff on their views and impressions of working within the University.

The results reveal that a high percentage of staff believe the University is a good employer and a good place to work, with most respondents saying that the University offers a good pay and reward package, with particular praise for the holiday entitlements, pension schemes, sick pay and maternity/paternity entitlements.

More than 1,800 members of staff responded to the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 62%, which is higher than average for this type of survey.

Capita have carried out similar surveys in 32 other universities including Oxford Brookes, Newcastle, Durham and York. This has allowed them to benchmark Northumbria’s results against these institutions.

Northumbria came out as the top University in seven areas including satisfaction with pay and conditions and training and career development provided by the University.

To see the results in full, including a comparison of Northumbria against other HE institutions, visit the Staff Survey web page, www.northumbria.ac.uk/vc/staffsurveyresults09/

In an email to staff earlier this week, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Andrew Wathey, said: “As a good employer, the University needs to listen to staff and to respond to their views. The results of the Staff Survey are encouraging in many respects and they demonstrate numerous areas of strength and good practice.  They also indicate a number of areas in which we can seek to improve.  

“I believe it is important that we consider the outcomes of the Survey carefully; that we respond to the views expressed by staff, and that we are purposeful in taking action in areas where there may be concerns.”

The University’s senior management group will now take the results of the survey to develop an action plan to address the areas in which improvements can be made, both locally and across the institution.

A series of focus groups will be convened in the coming weeks and months to ensure that staff are closely involved in the design and implementation of action points.

If you would be interested in joining such a group to examine this or any other category of the survey, please forward your details to bill.simpson@northumbria.ac.uk