Quality of Work Environment Initiative continues with second employee survey

Next week, all nonfaculty Purdue staff will be invited to participate in a second survey as part of the ongoing Quality of Work Environment Initiative.

As announced in November 2013, Human Resources has partnered with two Purdue faculty members on a long-term initiative with the goal of understanding and improving the quality of the work environment for the more than 7,000 nonfaculty staff members on Purdue's West Lafayette campus.

The first three phases of the Quality of Work Environment Initiative (QWEI) are now complete. Phase I consisted of focus groups, which produced themes that guided the development of a survey used in Phase II. Phase III included implementation of new programs and training based on survey and focus group findings.

All non-faculty Purdue staff will be invited to participate in a second survey, which is Phase IV of the initiative. This survey is similar to the Phase II survey conducted in April 2014 and is designed to assess changes in work environment quality. The survey focuses on assessing the quality of employees' work experiences and overall well-being, as well as highlighting areas for continuous improvement. Each staff member will receive an individual email invitation with a link to the online survey. A computer lab with on-site assistance will be set up on campus for those who need computer access.

This survey is an important step toward ensuring that Purdue is fostering the kind of workplace that allows employees to do their best work, says Trent Klingerman, interim vice president for human resources. Employee participation is critical to the success and impact of this project, as it will help the University focus on areas of the work environment that matter most.

The online survey has been programmed so that no personally identifiable information (for example, the address of the computer being used) will be recorded. Survey responses will remain confidential. All data will be stored in a secure place, and the data will not be linked to any personally identifiable information such as names or email addresses. The results of the survey will be reported in the aggregate: group level trends and key themes will be shared, but individual responses will not be reported.

The advisory committee for this initiative is being led by Ellen Ernst Kossek, the Basil S. Turner Professor of Management at Krannert School of Management and research director of the Butler Center for Leadership Excellence, and Deborah Rupp, the William C. Byham Chair in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Committee members include representatives from APSAC, CSSAC and Human Resources.

More information about QWEI and this survey can be found at www.purdue.edu/hr/qwei. For questions, contact workqual@purdue.edu or 49-46075.