Dear Colleagues,
Thank you again for participating in our recent Employee Morale Survey. Almost 6,000 of you, including staff and faculty, responded - a 40% response rate - and provided more than 5,000 comments. We read each of your comments and now want to share the results and steps the University will take to address the concerns you voiced so we can better support you during this crisis.
Although we can’t implement all of the changes that you requested, we are guided by our growing understanding of what it means to be working during a crisis - or coping with a crisis while trying to work and care for loved ones. We each must be prepared to not only give others the flexibility they need to manage their personal lives, but also adjust our expectations for ourselves. This has been an incredibly challenging few weeks filled with uncertainty and it will require patience and understanding from all of us to continue moving forward together.
Summary of Survey Results
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Although 56% of you identified your mood as “OK,” or “pretty good,” 29% said you felt “bad” (5%), or, “not so great.” As we would expect, many of our colleagues are overwhelmed by all of the uncertainty, both professional and personal, caused by the pandemic. Many of you expressed concerns about job security, stress levels, isolation, and the need to adjust workload and productivity expectations.
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For those of us who are able to work from home, 84% said they had the equipment needed, and many expressed the desire to continue working from home after the crisis. However, one of the largest themes from your comments was the need for reimbursement for, or access to, remote work equipment, particularly as it relates to ergonomics. We believe that as the shelter-in-place orders have continued, more of us are beginning to experience ergonomic and equipment issues.
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You answered positively to UC Berkeley’s handling of the COVID outbreak, with 88% agreeing that our campus is managing change well and 90% agreeing that we are communicating that change well. Notably, 81% agree that UC Berkeley cares about your well-being. These positive ratings are further supported by hundreds of your comments commending the University’s response.
A full report of the survey results is available here on our People & Culture website.
We heard you - now here’s what we plan to do about it
We are grateful for your feedback, which will allow us to adjust and improve our approach to how we support you during the crisis. Here are the most significant steps we plan to take over the next few weeks:
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Limit meetings on Friday afternoons and limit the length of meetings
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Use virtual ergonomic assessments to make sure remote workers have access to necessary equipment, including chairs and desks, paid for by the University
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Continue providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees who are required to be on campus
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Improve the usability of the UC Berkeley COVID-19 web page
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Explore ways for people to return to their offices to obtain smaller items such as computer peripherals, chairs, and other critical equipment and materials
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Provide direct training to managers to help them better support their employees and themselves, beginning with a Managers’ Forum on May 6, 2020 at 1:00 p.m
A full description of the action items can be found here on our People & Culture website.
Thank you again for participating in the survey. We look forward to asking your opinions on a regular basis, including getting more information about the remote work experience and how it might continue once we return to work. Our goal is to make sure we are serving you in the best ways possible now and going forward.
Thank you,
Eugene & Ben
Eugene Whitlock, Chief People & Culture OfficerBenjamin E. Hermalin, Vice Provost for the Faculty
If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.
