During the past 15 months, the pandemic interrupted business as usual within the university — including plans to conduct an employee engagement survey in 2021 — and UAB leaders are exploring ways to seek input and feedback as campus life and operations return to pre-COVID levels.
“It is important that the survey accurately assess our campus’s strengths and weaknesses, so we can identify the very best tools, resources and programs needed for sustained growth,” said Provost Pam Benoit. “Postponing the assessment in order to ensure we launch it effectively enables us to best respond to our community’s needs.”
“Postponing the assessment in order to ensure we launch it effectively enables us to best respond to our community’s needs.” |
UAB worked with Modern Think to conduct employee engagement surveys in 2017 and 2019, and encouraging results were shared in town halls and online. Work on those goals is underway, and UAB made notable progress in some areas, particularly identifying and developing competencies for managers and leaders and strengthening performance-management processes.
“Preparing for the biennial survey takes about six or more months of work, but time and resources were scarce this past fall as we all adjusted to limited business operations,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Alesia Jones. “So, while we did not survey employees in February of this year as intended, we are looking for ways to ensure that the timely, open and thorough communication that got us through these uncommon times continues to be a pillar of our engagement strategies.
“It is important to note that the COVID-19 crisis has brought out the best in UAB in ways that directly address the engagement survey — leadership, communication and empathy,” Jones said.
