August 28, 2013–Laurentian’s strategic plan aspiration for organizational excellence is showing measurable progress in the latest employee engagement survey. The results of the bi-annual survey measuring 20 drivers of employee engagement were released to faculty and staff this week, with progress reported in all 20 areas.
In 2011, Laurentian launched the first Have Your Say employee engagement survey as a means of starting a discussion with employees throughout the university community. It drew responses from 535 members of the Laurentian community, while the the 2013 Have Your Say survey elicited responses from 602 employees.
“The Have Your Say survey is about listening to our faculty and staff, finding out what they think is working and what they believe needs improvement,” said acting President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Kerr. “We’ll never be the organization we aspire to be without listening to our people.”
Dr. Kerr said the survey represents a “feedback point” as part of an on-going campus discussion about organizational excellence. “It’s a conversation about what it means to be a great organization, and frank discussion about what needs to be done. Certainly, this isn’t a process that happens in the span of a couple of years. But we’re committed to the objective, and the survey shows that some of the things we’re focusing on are making a difference to our employees.”
Stemming from the 2011 survey results, a number of specific actions were identified and were incorporated into the University’s 5-year strategic plan. These include investments of;
- more than $1.4M to establish the Centre for Academic Excellence,
- more than $1.8M to enhance training and development opportunities for employees,
- more than $2M in food services upgrades,
- more than $44M to improve campus facilities.
Dr. Kerr says the University will continue to seek and act upon feedback from the Laurentian community, discussing various initiatives and directions as part of the ongoing process of employee engagement.
About Laurentian University
Laurentian University is one of the fastest growing universities in Canada in the past decade, now serving close to 10,000 students. With its main campus in Sudbury, it now offers a growing number of programs in Barrie to the 1,200 students located on that campus. Laurentian has the highest post-graduation employment rates in Ontario after 6 months at 92% and 95% after two years. The University receives high recognition for its enviable class sizes, having one of the lowest average class sizes in Canada.