(麻豆淫院Org.com) -- U of T鈥檚 recent faculty and staff employee survey is 鈥渁 good news story,鈥� says Professor Angela Hildyard, vice-president (human resources and equity).

鈥淧eople are overwhelmingly positive about working at the university and being part of this community,鈥� she said.

However, the positive results aren鈥檛 something Hildyard plans to take for granted.

鈥淎s an employer we shouldn鈥檛 rest on our laurels,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e must consider how to make sure people maintain their level of engagement and commitment whether they鈥檙e new employees or have been here 45 years.鈥�

Hildyard said the survey plainly indicated areas where improvement is needed.

鈥淚t鈥檚 clear to me that recognition, morale, communication, workload issues and the relationship between work and personal life are still very important issues,鈥� she said. 鈥淲orking collaboratively, we can create innovative ways of addressing these.鈥�

Professor Edith Hillan, vice-provost (faculty and academic life), agreed that collaboration is a key to successful change.

鈥淕iven the size and complexity of our institution, it is always a delicate balancing act between divisional and university support,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here is no way we can get all things right at the centre. We will have to partner with individual faculties in determining the best way to make improvements.鈥�

She cited resources for teaching support and research support as examples of items that vary widely from faculty to faculty or across campuses. Fifty-eight per cent of faculty expressed satisfaction with the former; 57 per cent with the latter.

鈥淚n disciplines such as science and engineering, for instance, new faculty have often undertaken post-doctoral study where they learn how to mentor students and write grants before embarking on an academic career path. In other disciplines, such as humanities and law, this may not be the case. So there is no one-size-fits-all solution; many of the issues identified in the survey will need to be addressed at the individual faculty level.鈥�

Hillan also noted that there are other tools her office uses to get feedback from faculty, such as focus groups, so the survey is a piece of a larger whole.

Hildyard mentioned recognition as an area where a number of divisions have been showing leadership. Fifty-seven per cent of faculty and staff said morale is strong in their work units and 58 per cent agree that they receive recognition for their accomplishments at work.

鈥淭he morale in a work unit is a measure of employee engagement,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need to create a culture where we support and recognize one another. It鈥檚 a matter of enhancing values that are already there and moving them further along the continuum. We need to find ways to recognize both day-to-day contributions and extraordinary accomplishments in ways that are meaningful and consistent and fit with our culture.鈥�

Hildyard and Hillan both see communication as a valuable tool in effecting change. Sixty-fi ve per cent of employees cited good communication in their work units.

鈥淐ommunication is a perennial challenge,鈥� said Hillan. 鈥淭he more channels we can use, the better.鈥�

鈥淟et鈥檚 share great ideas and collaborate,鈥� said Hildyard. 鈥淏y sharing information, we can help employees see how they fit into the big picture of what the university does, whether it鈥檚 at the local or institutional level.

鈥淭he University of Toronto wouldn鈥檛 be the outstanding institution it is if we didn鈥檛 have thousands of staff doing a fabulous job every day. We need to find a way of recognizing that better.鈥�

However, Hillan, too, emphasized that overall, the survey results are good news.

鈥淲hen well over 80 per cent of tenured and teaching stream faculty say that they are proud to work at U of T, we鈥檙e doing something right.鈥�

Amorell Saunders N鈥橠aw, director of the office of the principal and vice-president at U of T Scarborough, gives the administration kudos for doing the survey.

鈥淭o the university鈥檚 credit, they have returned again four years later to ask for input,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e know they鈥檙e serious in their ongoing pursuit of making this the ideal workplace.鈥�