Jeffco Public Schools

Transcription

1 Jeffco Public Schools 2016 Employee Survey Report of Results June 2016 Prepared by: 2955 Valmont Road, Suite 300 Boulder, CO n-r-c.com

2 Contents Executive Summary... 1 Survey Background... 4 Survey Results... 5 An Overview... 5 Comparisons by Employee Subgroups... 6 Engagement... 7 Essentials... 9 Growth Climate Effectiveness Drivers of Employee Satisfaction Conclusions Appendix A: Respondent Characteristics Appendix B: Complete Set of Survey Responses Appendix C: Survey Results Compared by Respondent Characteristics Appendix D: Comparison of Survey Responses: 2016 to Appendix E: Benchmark Comparisons Appendix F: Survey Methodology Appendix G: Survey Instrument Report of Results

3 Executive Summary Survey Background and Methods The Jeffco Employee Survey provides a snapshot of the opinions of employees regarding their job satisfaction and other key characteristics of a quality work environment. Jeffco Public Schools (Jeffco) has administered an employee survey six times between 2000 and 2010, typically every two years. After a five-year lapse, district leadership decided to reinitiate and renovate the employee survey to better assess employee engagement and find actionable ways to improve district culture. For the survey, the instrument and methods were revised to reflect changes in educational climate, district goals and technology. The 2016 survey serves as a new baseline for Jeffco and captured employees opinions within five aspects of the organization: employee engagement, essentials (e.g., resources, compensation and workload), employee development and growth, climate and effectiveness. This survey served as a needs assessment for the district, helping to find both strengths and challenges. Comparisons to 2010 survey data were made when applicable. The survey was administered online between April 18 th and May 8 th. A total of 5,666 completed surveys were obtained, providing an overall response rate of 56%. Organizational Strengths This baseline survey found many areas of organizational culture and performance where a high proportion of employees gave positive ratings. Employee Engagement: Overall, employees at Jeffco are engaged. Job satisfaction is high and most staff members are committed to a career in the district. By and large, employees felt positively challenged in their jobs and were given opportunities to use their most valuable skills. Job-related Resources: Employees were generally positive about the resources and technology provided as well as the physical work spaces in the district. Employees felt safe at work. Employee Development: Employees felt supported in their buildings and gave favorable ratings to the professional learning opportunities offered. Most felt the training they received led to improvements in job performance. Building Level Climates: Climate ratings at the building level were generally positive. A majority of employees reported atmospheres of communication, collaboration, shared decision-making, innovation and autonomy. Performance: Employees felt Jeffco had high expectations, committed workers and employees who provided quality work. Educators believed their schools to be making substantial progress in the areas of student achievement and closing the achievement gap. Safety: Jeffco schools were felt to be safe places for students. Educators felt bullying was actively prevented by both adults and students. Partnerships: Employees gave positive ratings to the partnership between the school district and the broader Jefferson County community. School Board: The ratings given to the Jeffco s board increased substantially from Areas for Organizational Growth The primary goal of an employee survey is organizational learning. Areas where Jeffco could work to improve organizational structures, culture or performance include: Report of Results Page 1

4 Compensation: Like other public sector employees, most Jeffco employees rated their benefits somewhat positively but their compensation low. Ratings of compensation and benefits have decreased since the 2010 survey. Perceptions of leadership: Jeffco has experienced significant changes in leadership over the past three years. Change is always difficult, particularly when the transitions have been paired with politics, negative publicity and controversy. Although the School Board received high ratings, the Superintendent and senior management were not rated as favorably. Perceptions of the larger organization: Although it is common in large organizations for employees to rate the climate and quality of work in their own buildings more positively than the larger organization, the differences between the two were sizable in Jeffco. District climate: The areas in both building and District organizational level climate receiving the lowest ratings were in the areas of shared decision-making, innovation and managing change. Drivers of Employee Satisfaction Knowing where to focus resources to improve employees satisfaction with the workplace requires information that targets job features that are most important to employees. The approximately 100 questions asked on the survey were synthesized into 15 factors or indices within the larger categories of engagement, essentials, growth, climate and effectiveness. In the figure on the following page, the average score for each of the survey dimensions or factors are color-coded. The color of each box presents the average percent of employees providing positive ratings (e.g., the percent excellent or good, or the percent strongly or somewhat agree) for each dimension (the average across all individual ratings given to each aspect included in that specific job feature). In addition to the color coded comparison for each dimension, a key driver analysis was conducted to assess which of the employment dimensions were most closely correlated with job satisfaction. The image below includes stars to indicate which job features were found to be the most influential on ratings of employee job satisfaction. Dimensions most closely related to job satisfaction were employee contribution and fit, building leadership, performance evaluation and District climate. Report of Results Page 2

5 Legend More than 75% of Jeffco employees rated positively Between 61%-75% of Jeffco employees rated positively Fewer than 61% of Jeffco employees rated positively Most influential on overall job satisfaction Performance Evaluation Resources Safety Student Performance Compensation Leadership Diversity Building Climate Safe Schools Organizational Effectiveness Workload Community Partnerships Employee contribution and Fit Employee Development District Climate Comparisons by Employee Characteristics When looking at the survey results by various job characteristics, those who were not educators and those who worked at Jeffco for a shorter period of time were more positive. Those working with primary grades tended to give more positive ratings to most aspects of working at Jeffco. Comparison to National Benchmarks A number of the questions used on the 2016 Jeffco Employee Survey were similar to other normed employee questionnaires. By and large, Jeffco responses were similar to responses given by other local government employees and employees from myriad private organizations. For the few comparisons available to other teachers in Colorado, Jeffco s ratings varied, with some higher and some lower than the comparisons. Conclusions The overall results of the 2016 Jeffco Employee Survey were positive. Of the approximately 100 questions asked on the survey, only 13 questions did not receive a majority of positive responses. Employees were generally satisfied with their jobs and most planned on working for Jeffco in years to come. However, the largest concerns identified were in the areas of compensation, formal performance evaluation systems, and the need to build and strengthen the relationship of the Superintendent and senior management with the broader workforce. Report of Results Page 3

6 Survey Background Introduction The 2016 Jeffco Employee Survey provides the opinions of employees regarding their satisfaction on the job and other key characteristics of a quality work environment: communication, organizational ethics, employee fit, wages and benefits, the physical work space, supervisory relationships, the performance evaluation system, professional development and self-reported performance. A quality work environment is a workplace that is not simply acceptable, but that is desirable. It is not only where people do work, but where they want to work. Great workplaces are partnerships of employees, management and the residents they serve. The 2016 Jeffco Employee Survey captured employees opinions within five aspects of the organization: employee engagement, essentials (e.g., resources, compensation and workload), employee development and growth, climate and effectiveness. The survey served as a needs assessment for Jeffco helping to find both strengths and challenges. Survey Methods Jeffco has administered an employee survey six times between 2000 and 2010, typically every two years. After a five-year lapse, district leadership decided to reinitiate and renovate the employee survey to better assess employee engagement and find actionable ways to improve district culture. For the survey, the instrument and methods were revised to reflect changes in educational climate, district goals and technology. Jeffco contracted with National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) to develop and administer the new survey. As part of the instrument design process, an employee work group was formed. The Jeffco Advisory Committee (ESAC), an advisory group that included representatives from each classification of employees and schools as well as centrally based employees, worked with NRC to create a new instrument to measure the key characteristics of a work environment. The survey was administered online April 18th through May 8th. NRC sent four separate invitations to employees. Jeffco augmented the invitations with a variety of outreach activities to encourage employees to take the survey. Of the approximately 10,089 employees presumed to have received a survey, 5,666 completed the survey, providing a response rate of 56%. (Response rates by employee subgroups can be found in Appendix F: Survey Methodology.) It is customary to describe the precision of estimates made from surveys by a level of confidence and accompanying confidence interval (or margin of error). Because the 2016 survey was intended to be taken by all employees and no statistical weighting was performed, no traditional margin of error was calculated 1. The full description of methods used to garner these opinions can be found in Appendix F: Survey Methodology. Responses from the 2016 Jeffco Employee Survey are compared to the 2010 data when applicable in Appendix D: Comparison of Survey Responses: 2016 to 2010 and to state and national benchmark data in Appendix E: Benchmark Comparisons. A periodic sounding of employee opinion on critical work climate issues offers management a continuous opportunity to make improvements in the organization. The ESAC has decided to administer this survey every two years. 1 Margins of error are calculated to account for sampling error (the uncertainty from using a selected sample to estimate the sentiment of the entire population). Because the 2016 Jeffco Employee Survey was intended to be a census, no sampling error is calculated. Potential non-response bias (occurring when response rates fall below 100% because some employees chose not to participate) can be more concerning than sampling error. However, examination of the demographics of employee survey respondents compared to non-respondents demonstrated no meaningful difference between the categories of employees who participated compared to those who did not. The lack of difference suggests little non-response bias. Report of Results Page 4

7 Survey Results An Overview Employees were asked about approximately 100 different aspects of the organization. These questions were grouped into five larger dimensions or factors (bolded in the figure below) as well as 16 smaller dimensions. The average rating for each dimension is provided to demonstrate patterns of employee opinion. (See Appendix F: Survey Methodology for information on the individual items within each dimension). For example, the dimension of Job Satisfaction is the average percent positive (e.g., the percent excellent or good, the percent strongly or somewhat agree, etc.) of six individual questions from the survey: I see a career for me at Jeffco I plan on working for Jeffco a year from now Overall, I am satisfied with my job How likely or unlikely are you to recommend working for Jeffco to someone who asks? The purpose of Jeffco makes me feel my job is important Overall, I feel positive about working for Jeffco Employee engagement received the highest ratings of the larger dimensions (82% positive ratings), followed by Effectiveness (74%) and Growth (71%). The lowest rated dimension was Climate (59%). Of the 16 smaller dimensions, the highest scoring areas were Employee Contribution and Fit, Organizational Effectiveness, Safe Schools and Community Partnerships. The lowest rated of the smaller dimensions included Compensation and District Climate. Mean Rating (Percent Larger and Smaller Dimensions Positive) Engagement 82% Job satisfaction 79% Employee contribution and fit 86% Essentials 65% Safety 79% Resources (equipment, technology and physical work spaces) 70% Compensation 39% Workload 64% Growth 71% Employee development 71% Performance evaluation 71% Climate 59% Building climate (communication, decision-making, collaboration, innovation, autonomy in employees buildings) 69% District climate (communication, decision-making, collaboration, innovation, autonomy for Jeffco as a whole) 44% Diversity (recruiting, retaining and providing equal opportunities for advancement) 57% Effectiveness 74% Leadership 60% Organizational effectiveness 84% Student performance (achievement, competencies) 73% Safe schools 82% Community partnerships 80% Report of Results Page 5

8 Comparisons by Employee Subgroups Responses to the 2016 employee survey varied slightly by employee and job characteristics. Generally, employees giving higher ratings to survey questions tended to have worked fewer years at Jeffco overall. They also tended to be administrators, professional or technical employees. Licensed educators tended to provide the lowest ratings overall. Employees working with younger students and in the School Effectiveness department gave the most positive ratings. (See Appendix C: Survey Results Compared by Respondent Characteristics for more information on the comparison of responses by employment and employee characteristics.) More detail on the dimensions of the employee experience and the individual questions that comprise each are presented in the remainder of this report. Report of Results Page 6

9 Engagement An organization of engaged employees is an organization where employees feel motivated to do their best possible work and where they hope to continue working in years to come. In Jeffco, more than 80% of employees agreed that they were satisfied with their job and three-quarters felt positive about working for Jeffco. When asked if they planned to work for Jeffco next year, 90% agreed and nearly 85% reported they planned to make a career at Jeffco. About three-quarters of the employees surveyed reported that they would be likely to recommend working for Jeffco. Figure 1: Job Satisfaction Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree I plan on working for Jeffco a year from now 59% 31% 5% 5% I see a career for me at Jeffco 50% 34% 10% 7% Overall, I am satisfied with my job 37% 44% 14% 5% Overall, I feel positive about working for Jeffco 33% 44% 17% 7% The purpose of Jeffco makes me feel my job is important 31% 43% 19% 8% Percent of respondents Figure 2: Likelihood of Recommending Jeffco as a Place to Work How likely or unlikely are you to recommend working for Jeffco to someone who asks? Very likely 30% Very unlikely 10% Somewhat likely 44% Somewhat unlikely 16% Report of Results Page 7

10 Delving deeper into engagement, employees reported high levels of agreement related to contribution and fit. About 9 in 10 employees reported satisfaction with their job responsibilities and felt positively challenged by their jobs. More than 80% agreed with the statement, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day. Figure 3: Employee Contribution and Fit Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree I have good friends at work 54% 36% 7% 2% I gain satisfaction from my current job responsibilities 46% 43% 8% 3% I feel positively challenged in my current job 47% 39% 11% 4% I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day at work 41% 40% 14% 5% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 8

11 Essentials Employees were asked to rate job essentials safety, resources, compensation and workload as part of the survey. These issues are those necessary in every job and in every organization. In terms of safety, more than 90% reported that they felt safe in their workplace and 76% felt that Jeffco did a good job protecting employees from health and safety hazards on the job. Two-thirds felt Jeffco did a good or excellent job at training employees for potential security threats. Figure 4: Safety Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree I feel safe in my workplace 62% 28% 7% 3% Maintaining a work environment that is free of violence or harassment 46% 38% 12% 4% Protecting employees from health and safety hazards on the job 27% 49% 19% 6% Training employees for potential security threats 23% 44% 23% 10% Percent of respondents Positive ratings of resources such as physical work spaces, equipment and work-related technology ranged from 66% to 75%. The quality of the work spaces received the most favorable response. Figure 5: Resources Excellent Good Fair Poor Providing work spaces to do my job effectively 29% 46% 18% 7% My access to technology that helps me do my job effectively 29% 42% 20% 9% Availability of necessary materials, resources and equipment to do my job effectively 21% 45% 24% 10% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 9

12 When asked about workload, responses were more mixed than previous domains. While a majority gave positive ratings to these questions, a substantial portion of employees (37%) disagreed that their workload was manageable most of the time and nearly half disagreed that they had work-life balance. Figure 6: Workload Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree I am able to focus on my essential duties most of the time 29% 46% 19% 7% I feel that my workload is manageable most of the time 25% 38% 20% 17% Work-life balance 15% 39% 29% 18% Percent of respondents While benefits overall were rated favorably by a majority of employees, compensation and medical benefits received lower ratings. Less than one-quarter of employees rated their compensation as excellent or good. Ratings of compensation and benefits in 2016 were substantially lower than in 2010 (see Appendix D: Comparison of Survey Responses: 2016 to 2010 for more information). Figure 7: Compensation Excellent Good Fair Poor Benefits overall (vacation, sick leave, retirement plan, etc.) 15% 43% 33% 9% Medical benefits/insurance 8% 30% 38% 23% Compensation (salary, benefits) compared with similar opportunities 4% 18% 32% 46% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 10

13 Growth An important characteristic of high performing organizations is the ability to grow and develop employees. When asked about professional learning opportunities, about two-thirds of employees rated district-sponsored and building level trainings as excellent or good. Opportunities chosen by employees received a higher rating of 72%. Two-thirds of employees reported that the professional development they attended had led to improvements in their job performance. Approximately 84% of staff reported that there was someone at work who supported his or her development. Figure 8: Employee Development Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree There is someone at work who supports my development 47% 37% 10% 6% Non-Jeffco professional development opportunities (chosen by employee) 29% 43% 18% 10% The overall professional development you've received that has led to improvements in your job performance 18% 49% 23% 9% District-sponsored professional development opportunities 18% 47% 24% 11% Building level-sponsored professional development opportunities 18% 45% 26% 12% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 11

14 A majority of Jeffco employees gave positive ratings to all of the information and performance evaluation questions included on the survey. The highest ratings were given to questions related to the clarity of the evaluation system as well as the feedback mechanisms. Lower ratings were given to the more formal process of performance evaluation the evaluation system itself and the district s ability to manage lowperforming employees. The accuracy of the performance measurement system was rated as excellent or good by about 57% of Jeffco employees. Figure 9: Performance Evaluation Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree I know what is expected of me at work 64% 30% 4% 1% I understand how my work will be evaluated 43% 39% 13% 6% In the past year, someone at work has talked to me about my progress 46% 33% 12% 9% I am appreciated for my work 42% 37% 13% 9% I have recently received recognition or praise for doing good work 43% 31% 14% 12% Providing specific, constructive feedback that helps improve performance 26% 36% 23% 15% Recognizing high-performing employees 25% 35% 23% 17% Accuracy of performance evaluations 17% 40% 27% 17% Managing low-performing employees 15% 28% 30% 28% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 12

15 Climate The survey included a number of questions to assess the climate of Jeffco including questions on communication, collaboration, innovation, decision-making, autonomy and the encouragement of diversity. Many of the questions were asked at both the building level and district/organizational level, as ratings on these types of questions often vary within large organizations such as Jeffco. These sets of questions were asked of all employees. Comparisons of the building-level and district-level questions asked of all employees are shown in Figure 12 on page 15. In terms of building-level climate questions, a majority of all employees gave positive ratings to all of the questions. Nine in ten employees reported that their supervisor or someone at work cared about them as a person and three-quarters felt their opinion counted in their school building. Climate characteristics receiving the highest ratings were in the areas of collaboration, autonomy and communicating a school building vision. Each of these was rated as excellent or good by 70% or more of Jeffco employees. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person Figure 10: Building Climate Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree 62% Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree 27% 6% 5% At work, my opinions seem to count 35% 41% 15% 9% Modeling standards of ethical behavior 36% 37% 17% 11% Encouraging teamwork and collaboration between work teams and other groups 36% 36% 19% 10% Communicating a clear vision for our building 30% 40% 19% 10% Encouraging employees to use their own professional judgment to get the job done 33% 37% 19% 11% Fostering a respectful atmosphere 34% 35% 17% 13% Valuing creativity 30% 38% 20% 12% Encouraging employees to come up with innovative solutions to problems 29% 38% 22% 11% Openness to new ideas and initiatives 29% 37% 22% 12% Treating all employees fairly 30% 34% 19% 17% Informing employees about decisions that impact their work 24% 39% 23% 14% Communicating information that helps employees to understand the issues facing Jeffco 20% 43% 26% 12% Managing change 23% 39% 24% 14% Considering employees' ideas in decision-making 26% 34% 23% 16% Encouraging an environment where employees feel comfortable to raise issues and concerns that are important to them 28% 33% 22% 18% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 13

16 Employees were asked to evaluate several aspects of the leadership at the District/Ed Center at Jeffco. As is often the case in large organizations, ratings of Jeffco as a whole were not as positive as ratings about building-level. However, the top rated characteristics were similar: collaboration, autonomy and communicating vision. The lowest rated characteristics were considering employees ideas in decisionmaking, innovation and management of change. Figure 11: District Climate Excellent Good Fair Poor Communicating a clear vision for our organization 10% 43% 33% 15% Encouraging employees to use their own professional judgment to get the job done 11% 39% 31% 19% Coordinating the efforts of schools and departments (e.g., transportation, facilities, etc.) 8% 40% 36% 16% Treating all employees fairly 10% 38% 31% 21% Communicating information that helps employees to understand the issues facing Jeffco 8% 36% 38% 19% Valuing creativity 9% 35% 36% 21% Openness to new ideas and initiatives 8% 34% 38% 19% Managing change 7% 32% 39% 22% Encouraging employees to come up with innovative solutions to problems 8% 30% 38% 25% Considering employees' ideas in decisionmaking 6% 28% 38% 27% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 14

17 As previously mentioned, several questions on the survey were asked about both the building-level and district-level climate. Where questions overlapped, they are displayed in the figure below. Overall, Jeffco employees rated the various aspects of the building-level climate more positively than the same aspects at the district-level. Figure 12: Building and District Climate Compared Communicating a clear vision for our building/organization 52% 71% Encouraging employees to use their own professional judgment to get the job done 50% 70% Valuing creativity 43% 68% Encouraging employees to come up with innovative solutions to problems 38% 67% Openness to new ideas and initiatives 42% 66% Building District Treating all employees fairly 48% 64% Communicating information that helps employees to understand the issues facing Jeffco 44% 62% Managing change 39% 62% Considering employees' ideas in decisionmaking 34% 61% Percent excellent or good Report of Results Page 15

18 Questions related to diversity were asked for the organization as a whole. Although a majority of respondents provided positive responses to questions related to encouraging diversity, responses were mixed. Six in 10 employees gave positive ratings to the organization providing equal opportunities for employment advancement, while 5 in 10 gave favorable reviews to retaining employees with diverse backgrounds. Ratings related to Jeffco providing equal opportunities for employment advancement decreased from 2010 to 2016 (see Appendix D: Comparison of Survey Responses: 2016 to 2010). Figure 13: Diversity Excellent Good Fair Poor Providing equal opportunities for employment advancement 20% 41% 24% 15% Working to attract employees with diverse backgrounds 17% 40% 29% 15% Working to retain employees with diverse backgrounds 16% 37% 30% 17% Percent of respondents When responses for questions related to diversity were compared by respondent demographic characteristics, male employees, those ages 35 to 54, those who were not White and Hispanics tended to give lower evaluations. Figure 14: Diversity Compared by Respondent Gender, Age, Race and Ethnicity Respondent gender Respondent age Respondents race/ethnicity Respondent ethnicity Percent excellent or good Female Male 18 to to or older White Notwhite Hispanic Not Hispanic Overall Providing equal opportunities for employment advancement 61% 61% 64%* 63%* 56%* 62%* 56%* 58%* 62%* 61% Working to attract employees with diverse backgrounds 58%* 52%* 61%* 54%* 58%* 57%* 49%* 50%* 57%* 56% Working to retain employees with diverse backgrounds 54%* 48%* 56%* 51%* 56%* 54%* 45%* 47%* 54%* 53% *Asterisks (*) indicate statistically significant differences in responses between respondents (p.05). Report of Results Page 16

19 Effectiveness A district s leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture and steering the organization in a positive direction. Jeffco employees provided feedback regarding the district s leadership in the 2016 survey and the results were mixed. The highest ratings were given to the School Board leading effectively, with an agreement score of 82%; these ratings have substantially increased since 2010 (see Appendix D: Comparison of Survey Responses: 2016 to 2010). Ratings given to the Superintendent and senior management, although positive, were lower. The ratings of the Superintendent decreased from Building level leadership received high ratings from three-quarters of employees. Figure 15: Leadership Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree The Board of Education is leading the district effectively 22% 60% 13% 5% My School/Building Leadership is leading the district effectively 33% 44% 13% 9% (My School/Building Leadership) managing costs responsibly 28% 43% 20% 10% District senior management is leading the district effectively 10% 53% 25% 12% The district budget is aligned to district goals and objectives 9% 46% 29% 16% The Superintendent is leading the district effectively 8% 43% 27% 21% My overall level of confidence in the DISTRICT/ED CENTER leadership of Jeffco 8% 39% 35% 19% (The DISTRICT/ED CENTER) managing costs responsibly 7% 32% 35% 26% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 17

20 Within the domain of organizational effectiveness, the subdomains of expectations, commitment and actual work completed were all rated positively by Jeffco employees. Again, respondents rated the work completed in their own buildings much higher than work done by the larger organization. Figure 16: Organizational Effectiveness Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work 54% 37% 7% 2% Jeffco expects high quality work 41% 48% 8% 3% The work being done at my building overall 43% 43% 11% 3% The work being done at Jeffco overall 11% 58% 26% 5% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 18

21 Because the mission of Jeffco is to provide a quality education that prepares all children for a successful future, employees were asked their perceptions of student academic outcomes. Overall, employees gave the district high ratings when it came to student outcomes. Nine out of ten employees located in schools felt their schools were increasing student achievement and closing the academic achievement gap. More than 80% of all employees rated the quality of the education provided by Jeffco as excellent or good. Of the five Jeffco 2020 competencies set out in Jeffco s vision, employees gave the highest ratings to content mastery (e.g., math, science, ELA, etc.) as well as critical thinking and creativity. Self-direction and responsibility received the lowest score of the five competencies but was still rated positively by 55% of respondents. The Jeffco 2020 results might best be considered baseline data because the Jeffco 2020 vision was adopted this past school year. A comparison of these ratings to actual Jeffco 2020 data may provide useful over time. Figure 17: Student Performance Excellent/ Strongly agree Fair/ Somewhat disagree Good/ Somewhat agree Poor/ Strongly disagree My school is working toward closing the academic achievement gaps* 44% 46% 8% 2% My school is increasing student achievement* 42% 48% 8% 2% Overall, how would you rate the quality of the education provided to students by Jeffco? 17% 65% 16% 2% Content mastery (e.g. math, science, ELA, etc.) 15% 63% 19% 4% Critical thinking and creativity 13% 53% 28% 7% Communication 10% 52% 30% 7% Civic and global engagement 10% 48% 33% 10% Self-direction and personal responsibility 10% 45% 32% 13% *Asked only of employees in schools. Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 19

22 Student safety is an important priority at Jeffco. More than 90% of educators felt their schools were safe places for students to learn. Most respondents felt that school rules were clear and discipline practices were fair. Employees responses reflect the belief that both staff and students were active in the prevention of bullying. Figure 18: Safe Schools Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree My school is a safe place for children to learn 61% 30% 6% 2% Staff at my school make it clear to students that bullying is not tolerated 55% 33% 9% 4% My school promotes the wellness of the whole student 43% 44% 10% 3% Students at my school try to stop bullying when they see it happening 33% 45% 16% 6% At school, there are clear rules for acceptable student behavior 41% 33% 16% 10% The student discipline practices at my school are fair 38% 34% 18% 10% *Asked only of employees in schools. Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 20

23 A final set of questions on the survey addressed the partnership of Jeffco with the larger community. Generally, these questions were all answered positively (ranging 71% to 87% agreement). Most employees felt supported by the community and felt that Jeffco did a good job collaborating with parents and guardians and as well as other community stakeholders. Figure 19: Community Partnerships Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree The community we serve is supportive of Jeffco 26% 61% 11% 2% Parents feel welcome to participate at Jeffco 24% 60% 14% 2% Parents/guardians are influential decision makers in Jeffco 28% 54% 15% 3% Jeffco organizes support from community partners 21% 61% 15% 3% Jeffco does a good job of encouraging parent/guardian involvement 22% 57% 18% 3% Jeffco maintains clear, two-way communication with the community 20% 57% 19% 4% Parents/guardians know what is going on in Jeffco 16% 55% 24% 5% Percent of respondents Report of Results Page 21

24 Drivers of Employee Satisfaction Knowing where to focus resources to improve employees satisfaction with the workplace requires information that targets job features that are most important to employees. In the figure below, the average score for each of the survey dimensions or factors are color-coded. The color of each box presents the average percent of employees providing positive ratings for each dimension (the average across all individual ratings given to each aspect included in that specific job feature). In addition to the color coded comparison for each dimension, a key driver analysis was conducted to assess which of the employment dimensions were most closely correlated with job satisfaction. The image below includes stars to indicate which job features were found to be the most influential on ratings of employee job satisfaction. Key factors found to be most strongly correlated with job satisfaction in Jeffco were: Employee Contribution and Fit Leadership Performance Evaluation District Climate To impact ratings of employee job satisfaction, an organization typically will want to consider improvements to any key features that are rated less positively. Therefore, Jeffco may wish to seek improvements in the areas of District Climate and Leadership, as these key drivers received lower ratings overall from employees. Performance Evaluation also was found to be a key driver although its ratings were more moderate. Legend More than 75% of Jeffco employees rated positively Between 61%-75% of Jeffco employees rated positively Fewer than 61% of Jeffco employees rated positively Most influential on overall job satisfaction Performance Evaluation Resources Safety Student Performance Compensation Leadership Diversity Building Climate Safe Schools Organizational Effectiveness Workload Community Partnerships Employee contribution and Fit Employee Development District Climate Report of Results Page 22

25 Conclusions The Jeffco School District has been through some challenging times in the past three years. Changes in leadership, negative publicity, community discord and changes to state-level education policy have created some sizable obstacles for Jeffco employees to hurdle. However, the overall results of the 2016 Jeffco Employee Survey were positive. Of the approximately 100 questions asked on the survey, only 13 questions did not receive a majority of positive responses. Employees were generally satisfied with their jobs and most planned on working for Jeffco in years to come. This is not to say everything is perfect. It never is. The largest issues identified by the survey results relate to 1) compensation, 2) performance evaluation, and 3) the need to build and strengthen the relationship of the Superintendent and senior management with the broader workforce. Changes to compensation packages are often difficult to tackle. Public service organizations are governed by laws, tax revenues and political climates. Nonetheless, the dissatisfaction expressed by employees is important. Time may heal some of the frustration with increased workload of educators, however a deeper investigation into creative solutions, new support systems and better communication about the issues facing Jeffco and other school districts in the state might be worth consideration. In addition, more work is needed in the area of performance evaluation. All school districts in the State of Colorado are currently struggling to get their evaluation systems accurate, comprehensive and clear. This is not an easy task. As Jeffco moves forward in the development and refinement of its new systems, it will be important to make sure employees feel heard, are given chances to collaborate and that the communication is clear around the systems. Methods to ensure accuracy also should be utilized and reported to participants. Finally, it is apparent from the survey that greater efforts need to be made in the organization to build relationships between senior management and school staff. Assumptions of negative intent become easy in large organizations. Increased communication and collaboration between employees and senior administration may go a long way in bridging the schools with the central administration. Report of Results Page 23

26 Appendix A: Respondent Characteristics The following tables display the weighted demographic characteristics of those responding to the 2016 Employee Survey including frequency of responses and the number of respondents. Table 1: Years Worked for Jeffco How many years have you worked for Jeffco? Percent Number 1 year or less 9% to 3 years 12% to 7 years 14% to 10 years 14% to 15 years 20% 1,071 More than 15 years 31% 1,643 Total 100% 5,341 Table 2: Years Worked in Current Position How many years have you been in your current position/role, both in Jeffco or other school districts? Percent Number 1 year or less 10% to 3 years 14% to 7 years 16% to 10 years 13% to 15 years 18% 610 More than 15 years 28% 919 Total 100% 3,339 Asked only of teachers Table 3: Respondent Gender Percent Number Female 78% 4,422 Male 22% 1,244 Total 100% 5,666 Report of Results Page 24

27 Table 4: Respondent Age Percent Number 18 to 24 1% to 34 15% to 44 25% 1, to 54 33% 1, to 64 23% 1, or older 3% 167 Total 100% 5,665 Table 5: Respondent Race/Ethnicity Percent Number Am. Indian 1% 31 Asian 1% 45 Black 0% 24 Hawaii/Pac 0% 5 White 89% 5,014 Multiple races/ethnicity 10% 545 Total 100% 5,664 Table 6: Respondent Ethnicity Percent Number Hispanic 8% 469 Not Hispanic 92% 5,195 Total 100% 5,664 Table 7: Employee Classification Percent Number Education support professional 31% 1,740 Licensed educators 62% 3,495 Administrators/ professional technical 8% 431 Total 100% 5,666 Report of Results Page 25

28 Table 8: Building Type and Employee Classification Percent Number School 86% 4,872 Non-school Education support professional 6% 323 Non-school Licensed educators 4% 212 Non-school Administrators/ professional technical 5% 259 Total 100% 5,666 Table 9: Department Percent Number Educational Research and Design 12% 142 Communications 0% 4 Employee Relations 1% 7 Financial 4% 48 Human Resources 3% 35 Information Technology 10% 113 Operations 44% 500 School Effectiveness 4% 40 Student Success 22% 245 Other 0% 5 Total 100% 1,139 Table 10: School Level Percent Number Preschool 1% 39 Elementary 54% 2,607 Middle 12% 604 High 25% 1,194 Multi-level 9% 428 Total 100% 4,872 Report of Results Page 26

29 Appendix B: Complete Set of Survey Responses Complete Set of Frequencies Excluding Don t Know The following pages contain a complete set of responses to each question on the survey, excluding the don t know responses. Table 11: Question 1 Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about your job working for Jeffco. Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Total I know what is expected of me at work 64% 3,620 30% 1,699 4% 244 1% % 5,633 My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person 62% 3,461 27% 1,504 6% 351 5% % 5,602 I understand how my work will be evaluated 43% 2,378 39% 2,160 13% 720 6% % 5,592 At work, my opinions seem to count 35% 1,937 41% 2,290 15% 831 9% % 5,582 There is someone at work who supports my development 47% 2,596 37% 2,067 10% 583 6% % 5,553 I have recently received recognition or praise for doing good work 43% 2,400 31% 1,708 14% % % 5,555 In the past year, someone at work has talked to me about my progress 46% 2,538 33% 1,842 12% 675 9% % 5,562 I am appreciated for my work 42% 2,328 37% 2,037 13% 713 9% % 5,558 I feel that my workload is manageable most of the time 25% 1,401 38% 2,131 20% 1,146 17% % 5,613 I am able to focus on my essential duties most of the time 29% 1,615 46% 2,561 19% 1,056 7% % 5,621 I have good friends at work 54% 3,031 36% 2,030 7% 406 2% % 5,599 I feel safe in my workplace 62% 3,486 28% 1,577 7% 399 3% % 5,616 Table 12: Question 2 Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about your job working for Jeffco. Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Total I gain satisfaction from my current job responsibilities 46% 2,595 43% 2,400 8% 459 3% % 5,626 I feel positively challenged in my current job 47% 2,626 39% 2,168 11% 600 4% % 5,622 I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day at work 41% 2,282 40% 2,270 14% 807 5% % 5,625 Overall, I feel positive about working for Jeffco 33% 1,830 44% 2,456 17% 947 7% % 5,608 The purpose of Jeffco makes me feel my job is important 31% 1,670 43% 2,352 19% 1,026 8% % 5,473 I plan on working for Jeffco a year from now 59% 3,105 31% 1,600 5% 271 5% % 5,242 I see a career for me at Jeffco 50% 2,600 34% 1,791 10% 506 7% % 5,248 Overall, I am satisfied with my job 37% 2,082 44% 2,476 14% 760 5% % 5,593 Table 13: Question 3 Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Very likely Total How likely or unlikely are you to recommend working for Jeffco to someone who asks? 30% 1,610 44% 2,389 16% % % 5,404 Report of Results Page 27

30 Table 14: Question 4 Please rate the quality of each of the following aspects of working at Jeffco. Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Availability of necessary materials, resources and equipment to do my job effectively 21% 1,147 45% 2,501 24% 1,342 10% % 5,574 Providing work spaces to do my job effectively 29% 1,626 46% 2,551 18% 999 7% % 5,571 My access to technology that helps me do my job effectively 29% 1,608 42% 2,323 20% 1,124 9% % 5,542 Compensation (salary, benefits) compared with similar opportunities 4% % 1,004 32% 1,773 46% 2, % 5,526 Medical benefits/insurance 8% % 1,570 38% 2,008 23% 1, % 5,226 Benefits overall (vacation, sick leave, retirement plan, etc.) 15% % 2,346 33% 1,808 9% % 5,496 Accuracy of performance evaluations 17% % 2,126 27% 1,434 17% % 5,370 Work-life balance 15% % 2,164 29% 1,587 18% % 5,551 Maintaining a work environment that is free of violence or harassment 46% 2,545 38% 2,131 12% 640 4% % 5,563 Training employees for potential security threats 23% 1,230 44% 2,392 23% 1,270 10% % 5,456 Protecting employees from health and safety hazards on the job 27% 1,455 49% 2,643 19% 1,029 6% % 5,441 Providing equal opportunities for employment advancement 20% 1,049 41% 2,118 24% 1,253 15% % 5,173 Working to attract employees with diverse backgrounds 17% % 1,750 29% 1,278 15% % 4,409 Working to retain employees with diverse backgrounds 16% % 1,596 30% 1,300 17% % 4,369 Report of Results Page 28

31 Table 15: Question 5 Please rate the quality of each of the following aspects of the leadership at the DISTRICT/ED CENTER at Jeffco. Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Communicating a clear vision for our organization 10% % 2,236 33% 1,712 15% % 5,241 Communicating information that helps employees to understand the issues facing Jeffco 8% % 1,888 38% 1,995 19% % 5,285 Coordinating the efforts of schools and departments (e.g., transportation, facilities, etc.) 8% % 1,921 36% 1,717 16% % 4,782 Considering employees' ideas in decision-making 6% % 1,348 38% 1,857 27% 1, % 4,833 Encouraging employees to come up with innovative solutions to problems 8% % 1,397 38% 1,783 25% 1, % 4,727 Encouraging employees to use their own professional judgment to get the job done 11% % 1,936 31% 1,562 19% % 4,999 Openness to new ideas and initiatives 8% % 1,614 38% 1,834 19% % 4,771 Managing change 7% % 1,584 39% 1,890 22% 1, % 4,895 Valuing creativity 9% % 1,648 36% 1,714 21% % 4,759 Treating all employees fairly 10% % 1,850 31% 1,520 21% 1, % 4,865 Managing costs responsibly 7% % 1,487 35% 1,629 26% 1, % 4,630 Report of Results Page 29

32 Table 16: Question 6 Now, please rate the quality of each of the following aspects of leadership at YOUR BUILDING/SCHOOL. Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Communicating a clear vision for our building 30% 1,629 40% 2,154 19% 1,014 10% % 5,344 Communicating information that helps employees to understand the issues facing Jeffco 20% 1,046 43% 2,261 26% 1,390 12% % 5,318 Informing employees about decisions that impact their work 24% 1,278 39% 2,102 23% 1,203 14% % 5,326 Considering employees' ideas in decision-making 26% 1,396 34% 1,812 23% 1,233 16% % 5,278 Encouraging an environment where employees feel comfortable to raise issues and concerns that are important to them 28% 1,474 33% 1,745 22% 1,149 18% % 5,336 Encouraging teamwork and collaboration between work teams and other groups 36% 1,918 36% 1,911 19% % % 5,322 Encouraging employees to come up with innovative solutions to problems 29% 1,529 38% 1,977 22% 1,165 11% % 5,269 Encouraging employees to use their own professional judgment to get the job done 33% 1,752 37% 1,985 19% 1,027 11% % 5,323 Openness to new ideas and initiatives 29% 1,514 37% 1,961 22% 1,173 12% % 5,278 Managing change 23% 1,226 39% 2,041 24% 1,283 14% % 5,276 Valuing creativity 30% 1,556 38% 1,998 20% 1,077 12% % 5,254 Fostering a respectful atmosphere 34% 1,840 35% 1,853 17% % % 5,348 Modeling standards of ethical behavior 36% 1,906 37% 1,950 17% % % 5,321 Treating all employees fairly 30% 1,582 34% 1,786 19% % % 5,282 Providing specific, constructive feedback that helps improve performance 26% 1,347 36% 1,915 23% 1,204 15% % 5,269 Recognizing high-performing employees 25% 1,286 35% 1,784 23% 1,168 17% % 5,133 Managing low-performing employees 15% % 1,270 30% 1,337 28% 1, % 4,504 Managing costs responsibly 28% 1,317 43% 2,014 20% % % 4,736 Table 17: Question 7 Please rate the quality of professional development you have participated in during the past year. Excellent Good Fair Poor Total District-sponsored professional development opportunities 18% % 2,145 24% 1,116 11% % 4,564 Building level-sponsored professional development opportunities 18% % 2,043 26% 1,179 12% % 4,587 Non-Jeffco professional development opportunities (chosen by employee) 29% % 1,463 18% % % 3,368 The overall professional development you've received that has led to improvements in your job performance 18% % 2,422 23% 1,150 9% % 4,900 Report of Results Page 30

33 Table 18: Question 8 Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about Jeffco. Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Total The Superintendent is leading the district effectively 8% % 1,840 27% 1,133 21% % 4,233 The Board of Education is leading the district effectively 22% % 2,534 13% 546 5% % 4,200 District senior management is leading the district effectively 10% % 2,032 25% % % 3,860 My School/Building Leadership is leading the district effectively 33% 1,617 44% 2,173 13% 650 9% % 4,888 The district budget is aligned to district goals and objectives 9% % 1,803 29% 1,134 16% % 3,881 Jeffco expects high quality work 41% 2,111 48% 2,509 8% 440 3% % 5,208 My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work 54% 2,833 37% 1,979 7% 365 2% % 5,292 Table 19: Question 9 Please rate each of the following categories of Jeffco performance: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total The work being done at my building overall 43% 2,298 43% 2,304 11% 572 3% % 5,317 The work being done at Jeffco overall 11% % 2,935 26% 1,343 5% % 5,071 My overall level of confidence in the DISTRICT/ED CENTER leadership of Jeffco 8% % 1,987 35% 1,758 19% % 5,090 Table 20: Question 10 Please rate the job Jeffco does at increasing student performance in the areas of: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Content mastery (e.g. math, science, ELA, etc.) 15% % 2,780 19% 832 4% % 4,440 Critical thinking and creativity 13% % 2,380 28% 1,247 7% % 4,520 Civic and global engagement 10% % 2,043 33% 1,410 10% % 4,301 Communication 10% % 2,358 30% 1,375 7% % 4,527 Self-direction and personal responsibility 10% % 2,058 32% 1,445 13% % 4,540 Table 21: Question 11 Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Overall, how would you rate the quality of the education provided to students by Jeffco? 17% % 3,371 16% 852 2% % 5,194 Report of Results Page 31