Yes, your responses are confidential, and only aggregate results will be reported. Personally identifiable information is not associated with your responses.

Please be aware that comments you provide at the end of the survey may be identifiable depending on their content. Providing comments is entirely voluntary.

For the results, an anonymity threshold was set at 10 responses. If there were not 10 or more responses, the data would move up to the next level in the organization's hierarchy.

Open-ended feedback on what the university does well, and what can be improved is shared only with the Chancellor for their respective university.

Measuring employee engagement enables us to collect feedback at scale across the organization, ensuring that the voices of all employees are heard, rather than just a few.

It allows us to make informed decisions to improve company culture and enhance your employee experience.

Employee feedback collected through engagement surveys helps us identify areas we are doing well, and areas for improvement before they negatively impact productivity and our university's culture.

We use Qualtrics, an independent third-party tool, to gather feedback from employees and job applicants. This tool provides a holistic view of an employee's experience, covering various stages of the employee lifecycle.

We will also use this tool for routine pulse surveys on various topics influencing the overall employee experience.

We will initiate the first baseline employee experience survey in Fall 2023. 

The survey will be open for a two-week period and should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

No, participating in the survey is entirely voluntary, but we encourage all UA employees to take part.

UA benefited employees (hired on or before October 31, 2023) will receive an email invitation from UA Employee Feedback (experience@feedback.alaska.edu), with the subject, “INVITATION: UA Employee Experience Survey.” This link is unique to the individual emailed; please do not share it with others.

It is possible that Gmail may flag this Qualtrics email as a Phishing attempt, but the email is legitimate. Please proceed with the survey. It's important to note that the survey will never request your UA ID, password, or any other information commonly found in phishing emails.

If you don't receive the email invitation, please contact the UA  HR Talent Acquisition and Development team at ua-feedback@alaska.edu .

To report misconduct, please use the UA Confidential Hotline at https://www.alaska.edu/audit/hotline/.

This survey focuses on employee engagement across the entire University of Alaska. It's distinct from recent surveys, such as benefits surveys, the UAF DEI survey, and Staff Council morale surveys, which serve specific purposes.

We are exploring opportunities to collaborate with our university partners on surveys in the future. 

Employee feedback is essential for continuous improvement and informed decision-making at all levels of the organization. Leaders who actively listen and are open to feedback foster a culture of trust and psychological safety. Your feedback can lead to positive changes in the organization.

Qualtrics, a third-party vendor, will distribute the Employee Engagement survey and analyze the data to provide insights into the employee experience at UA. They are advising UA Human Resources and the Employee Feedback and Assessment Advisory Committee on the survey's development.

Email communications will be sent to employees before the survey distribution.

The Employee Feedback and Assessment Advisory Committee, consisting of faculty and staff, was appointed by UA's chief human resources officer to assist in the development of the survey in consultation with Qualtrics. Their committee charter is available here.

Survey data will be provided as a high-level report to senior administration at the System Office and each university. The reports will also be accessible on the UA Employee Experience survey web page.

Qualtrics will analyze the data and provide recommendations for action planning to enhance engagement in specific areas such as policies, programs, etc. 

All UA employees have a role in employee engagement- from celebrating what we do well, to being part of making change for the better. University leaders from administrators to onboarding and engagement managers, governance groups, and the Employee Feedback and Assessment Steering Committee, will use the information to make recommendations and/or take action.

Individuals are encouraged to take action within their role but to also work with their university leadership, supervisors, and governance groups.

We’re using a mix of both quantitative and qualitative survey methods. All employees at UA will have an opportunity to participate in the survey and will self-select whether they choose to do so. The University of Alaska has contracted with the Qualtrics Employee Experience module (Qualtrics EX25) to ensure the data we collect is actionable. 

Qualtrics has developed a tool called EX25, which uses a holistic approach to measuring and optimizing employee experience, or EX. Engagement, as a single metric, is not a sufficient measure of employee engagement. The most successful organizations are moving beyond measuring employee engagement alone to routinely measuring the entire employee experience throughout the whole employee journey from application to the exiting of an organization. 

EX25 consists of two question sets: EX KPIs (key performance indicators) and Drivers of EX. The methodology enables companies to measure five KPIs for the employee experience and link them with the 25 drivers they can act on.

EX KPIs are the outcome measurements a company should track to ensure they are providing a great employee experience.

• Engagement

• Experience vs. expectations

• Intent to stay

• Inclusion

• Wellbeing
  

Drivers of EX are the critical topics that influence KPIs. They incorporate the aspects of work important to employees today. Understanding the score in each driver provides critical signals to improve the employee experience by identifying areas of strength and opportunities for growth. The design of this survey allows organizations and supervisors to develop action plans to improve engagement. 

Contact ua-feedback@alaska.edu for more information about this survey.