Employee Engagement Survey and the Culture of Safety Survey

READ THIS.  Then take the engagement survey.

Good morning!

I took a break from VC Notes last week for a family vacation and am on the road this week, but I wanted to write briefly today about a very important topic: our 2017 Employee Engagement Survey and the Culture of Safety Survey.

You should have received your personalized link to the survey early last Monday morning, July 17, from Dr. Charles S. O’Mara, associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs.  All UMMC employees have the opportunity to take the engagement survey and, depending on your role, many of you have also been asked to take the Culture of Safety Survey.

These surveys take approximately 20 minutes to complete and I hope you will complete yours, if not today, then as soon as possible before the deadline of August 7. 

We had a strong participation rate on the 2016 survey – 76 percent, which is higher than the national average of 74 percent of organizations served by our survey administrator, Press Ganey Associates.  I hope we can at least get to 80 percent this year.

We are off to a good start.  On the very first day, 1,000 employees completed the survey!  Thank you.

The reason I’m so focused on these surveys is that they are an important – maybe the most important – driver of positive change in our organization in areas that matter most to our workforce and our patients.  Based on findings from last year’s survey, we are committing additional time, energy and resources toward improving communication; respectfulness; professional development; reward and recognition; and patient safety and experience. 

Since the last survey, I have seen so many encouraging examples of leaders at all levels making themselves more visible and accessible, engaging and listening to staff, publicly praising the exceptional work of their colleagues, soliciting input from front line staff on decisions, and cultivating an environment of accountability, fairness and respect.

Of course, as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the hard work of change won’t be completed during the course of a single year.  That’s why it’s so important to administer the survey every year so we can measure our progress and fine-tune our efforts to improve.

For anybody concerned about the confidentiality of their responses, please know that the survey process has been carefully designed to protect the confidentiality of participants.  I want to hear the plain, unvarnished truth of your workplace experiences at UMMC and, for the purposes of this survey, have no interest in your identity.  Please feel free to be candid.