Employee Engagement

Employee engagement refers to a person’s level involvement and enthusiasm in both their work and workplace,

According to Gallup’s report “The Engaged University,”

  • Only 34% of higher education employees are engaged at work, compared to 70% among the world’s best organizations.
  • Most critical is that 52% are not engaged and 14% are actively disengaged (sample of 21,399 faculty members drawn proportionately across public and private institutions)
    • A lower rate than most other industries, only 4 in 10 professors say that someone's talked to them about their progress in the last six months.

image from Gallup

To be fully engaged, employees’ needs must be met at all four levels of the engagement pyramid: Basic Needs, Individual Needs, Teamwork and Growth*.

Employee engagement pyramid

*Adapted from Gallup

Engagement vs. Climate

Engagement

Employee engagement is defined as the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work. 

 Climate

  • The objectives of the mission-driven study are to support the university's Strategic Plan and develop a campus-wide plan for diversity and inclusion.
  • The climate study served as a methodical way to measure inclusiveness and feelings of belonging across identities, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, political affiliation, etc.

Engagement Process

shows the process of engagement

This requires a commitment to 1) prioritizing and supporting agreed upon recommendations, 2) holding leaders accountable to subsequent departmental recommendations, and 3) investment in continuous improvement activities.

Survey Information

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Survey Information

In 2017, the Office of Human Resources conducted Marquette’s first-ever campus-wide employee engagement survey of all faculty and staff to provide baseline data to the director of organizational development.  The results were used to help this new role determine key priorities of focus such as leadership development, supervisory skill programs, performance management strategies, strategic planning resources, and other professional development and engagement opportunities for employees.

A follow-up survey was conducted in early 2019 to identify key aspects of an employee’s work experience that support and enable people to perform at their best.  This was an opportunity for employees to assess Marquette’s strengths and opportunities for improvement in several areas that affect job satisfaction and engagement.

Results were shared with the Marquette community and departments were provided with personalized reports, recommendations, and resources to development an action plan for improvement.

2022 Survey Results

The Office of Human Resources conducted a third survey in early 2022 and streamlined it to focus on the main indicators of employee engagement.

Questions/Categories

The survey contained 20 questions in the following categories which outline the key drivers of engagement. 

  • Strategy and Culture
  • Employee Experience and Work Environment
  • Overall Satisfaction Rating Chair/Direct Supervisor
  • Overall Satisfaction Rating Marquette University

1,192 employees completed the survey resulting in a 44% response rate. The survey was conducted online with paper copies available for employees who don’t often use a computer. 

The overall university results were shared with the Marquette community and departments were provided with personalized reports, recommendations, and resources to development an action plan for improvement.

The chart below compares the top-two measures of engagement over the three surveys conducted.  Overall satisfaction with MU has dropped although according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, this is not unique to Marquette. 

The key is to use the results at a department/local level to gain a better understanding of what is working and what needs improvement, since engagement is most influenced through experiences with your department colleagues and supervisor.  More detailed information on Marquette’s overall results can be found in the dashboard below.

2022 Employee Engagement Survey Dashboard

A dashboard containing the results has been developed by the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis.

How to Interpret Your Department Survey Results

Identify the following:

  • What is working well?
    • e.g., 75% strongly or somewhat agree
  • What needs to improve?
    • e.g., higher percentages of dissatisfaction
  • What do we need to learn more about?
    • Large percentage of neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
  • Where do the successes and challenges fall in the Engagement Pyramid?
  • Were there changes in results between 2019 and 2022?
    • Understanding there are several factors to consider since engagemnt measures a certain point in time.

Action Planning

For Marquette to be recognized among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic and Jesuit universities in the world, promoting the greater glory of God and the well-being of humankind, it’s imperative that we act on these results.  This begins with senior leaders, modeling the way in their actions and behaviors, communicating with honesty and transparency, and holding themselves and each other accountable to achieving the goals of Beyond Boundaries:  Marquette’s Strategic Plan.

This requires a commitment to 1) prioritizing and supporting agreed upon recommendations, 2) holding leaders accountable to subsequent departmental recommendations, and 3) investment in continuous improvement activities.

The Role of Human Resources

  • Personalized consults to help leaders understand the results
  • Makes suggestions on how best to present the results to your team, gather feedback, and create your action plan
  • Provides tools and resources