Staff Survey 2022 Results
16 Jan 2023
A message from Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research and Adèle MacKinlay, Director of People and Organisational Development
In the latter part of 2022, we asked colleagues to have their say on a range of topics in our Staff Survey, including our University strategy, how we support you to do your job and develop your career, recognition and reward, wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion, leadership and management, communications and organisational change.
6,565 (50%) of you took the time to complete the survey and today (Monday, 16 January) we are releasing the results gathered by our independent engagement partner, People Insight.
Staff surveys capture a selection of views from across the University at a particular point in time, and we are very grateful to all those who took the opportunity to share their views and suggestions. It is important for us to have this feedback to ensure that we move in the right direction as we evolve and implement the changes you identify across the University.
Positive feedback from our staff includes:
• Our University purpose: 70% of respondents agree that at work they feel they can make a positive difference.
• Engagement: 75% of respondents are proud to work for the University. Over two-thirds of staff responded that they would recommend the University as a good place to work (69%) and would recommend the University as a good place to be a student (67%).
• Line management: 86% of respondents agree that their manager treats them with respect.
• Role and Development: 80% of respondents know what is expected of them in their job and find their work interesting and challenging.
• Enablement: 91% of respondents feel trusted to get on with their job and 85% agree the University enables flexible working.
• Equality, Diversity and inclusion (EDI): 75% of respondents agree that the University is inclusive and committed to EDI.
The main areas of concern voiced by staff in this survey are:
• Organisational Change and improving our operational systems: 28% of respondents agree that the University manages change effectively. This is just below the sector average.
• Leadership: One-third of respondents agree that the President’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) manage and lead the University well; just over one in five (22%) disagree and the remaining 44% neither agree nor disagree.
• Wellbeing: Many staff are positive about their working conditions but a sizeable proportion are not. They report that they are not able to manage their job pressures, their workload or achieve a good balance between work and home (between 10-20% for each of these three questions).
• Bullying, harassment, and discrimination: Only 63% of respondents would feel able to report bullying or harassment, 17% disagreed.
• Communications within the University: Only one-third of respondents agree there is good communication between different parts of the University – fewer than in previous surveys.
Below you will find links to the complete results broken down by Faculty and Professional Services, as well as a detailed analysis report which captures the broader themes and comparison to our previous survey and other HE institutes and the emerging themes that will form the basis of our action planning.
• The University of Manchester Staff Survey Results 2022 – Exec Summary
• The University of Manchester Staff Survey Results 2022 - Commentary
• People Insight Report - The University of Manchester Summary Report of the Employee Survey Results
• Faculty of Science and Engineering Results – People Insight Report
• Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health – People Insight Report
• Faculty of Humanities – People Insight Report
• Professional Services – People Insight Report
The following data has been used to support the report:
• Staff Survey results PS – Deltas
• Staff Survey results Faculty – Deltas
• Staff Survey Results by Occupational Group - Deltas
Since we last conducted a staff engagement survey in 2019, the working environment has changed dramatically. As a University, we had to adapt overnight to working remotely during the pandemic, whilst some colleagues worked on-campus throughout a very challenging period. In addition, the global landscape has changed, and the 2022 survey took place during a turbulent period both politically and economically, including a rapid rise in the inflation rate and the cost of living.
We are already addressing some of the concerns which the Survey has identified, and our recently launched EDI and People and Organisational Development strategies highlight some of the actions needed to make necessary improvements across our University. In response to the increased cost of living, which is a serious concern for colleagues at every level of the University, we have also been listening to colleagues through a variety of platforms and have introduced financial and non-financial measures for both staff and students to help alleviate the pressures.
All that being said, we have heard clearly that there are key areas for us to improve that are very specific to our University and which we will focus upon. The Staff Survey marks the beginning of a dialogue with colleagues to achieve our aims and continue our journey to be the best possible place to work and study.
Thank you again to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and experiences, some who did so twice following the false start we had with the survey last Spring. We understand that it’s been a challenging period and we’ll use this honest feedback to implement positive changes across our University.
Over the coming weeks, we will focus on developing a clear, deliverable action plan, listening to the challenges that you have raised and building on the many programmes that we already have in place to drive forward improvement in the areas you have highlighted.
We will report back regularly to share progress updates on how we are delivering those changes across the University.
If you have any questions or would like to offer further feedback, please email helen.ashley@manchester.ac.uk
Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research
Adèle MacKinlay, Director of People and Organisational Development