2018 Engagement Survey Results

• Recognition: As a result of the 2018 Employee Engagement Survey and in an effort to make the program more meaningful to recipients, the Human Resources Department redesigned its Treasured Pirate Award Program. Award winners now receive $250.00 as well as a trophy presented at the Annual Treasured Pirate Award Ceremony. Additionally, to support more timely recognition of employees hitting milestones, Human Resources is in the process of updating the State Service Award Program.

• Communication: To better understand how ECU employees experience communication and to make informed recommendations to University Leadership, the Engagement Project Management Team is conducting Communication Focus Groups across campus. Additionally, members of ECU’s Senior Leadership have been actively involved in developing a meaningful dialogue with employees. For example, Dr. Mark Stacy, Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Dean of the Brody School of Medicine, conducted a listening tour for Brody faculty and staff to engage small group discussions.

• Senior Leadership Experience: One thing we learned as a result of the 2018 Employee Engagement Survey was employees sought a more meaningful experience of University Leadership. Members of the University’s Senior Leadership have been taking action to provide that experience. For example, Dr. Ron Mitchelson, then-Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, hosted “Coffee with the Provost” as an opportunity for Academic Affairs faculty and staff to network and engage the Provost. Additionally, employees within the division of Administration and Finance were invited to join Dr. Sara Thorndike, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, for lunch. The opportunity gave Administration and Finance employees a chance to enjoy a meal, get to know Sara, as well as division co-workers, ask questions, and share stories and experiences.

• Onboarding: In order to give new staff employees a more meaningful first-day experience, Human Resources has completely redesigned the new staff employee orientation. Starting in October of 2019, new staff employees began attending a New Employee Orientation that includes things such as less paperwork to complete, a guided bus tour of Main Campus, Health Sciences Campus, as well as ECU’s Athletic Complex. In 2020, Human Resources will undertake the development and roll-out of a first-year New Employee Onboarding Experience as well.

In 2018, ECU faculty and staff participated in the UNC System Employee Engagement Survey, which is part of a five-year project designed to provide metrics for measuring our progress in implementing the UNC System Strategic Plan. The survey was administered through an outside vendor, ModernThink, which has implemented similar studies for hundreds of colleges nationwide and for the Chronicle of Higher Education “Great Colleges to Work For” report. Additional surveys will be completed in 2020 and 2022 to measure our progress over a 5 year period of time.

2018 Engagement Survey Highlights

Town Hall Meetings:

We previously held two town hall meetings led by ModernThink and attended by senior ECU leaders. There, we discussed the research, answered questions and reviewed the next steps in the process. Download a copy of the slides used at the Town Hall Meetings.

Mendenhall Student Center Great Rooms

October 4, 2018
10:30 – 11:30am
Morning Town Hall Recording

Brody Auditorium

October 4, 2018
2:30 – 3:30pm
Afternoon Town Hall Recording

Individuals requesting accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the ADA Coordinator at ADA-Coordinator@ecu.edu or 737-1018.