This past spring, the UPS-USS Council of the Kansas Board of Regents worked together to conduct a survey on its campuses with support from the universities’ administrative leaders. This council represents both Unclassified Professional (UPS) and University Support Staff (USS) at the six Regents universities, and the survey focused on topics related to employee satisfaction.
The survey was conducted in April by the Docking Institute and was emailed to 1,951 UPS and USS employees at WSU. The Docking Institute received 517 completed surveys, resulting in a response rate at WSU of 26.5%. The response rate decreased considerably from the 2022 survey, when 37.5% of staff members responded. It should be noted that only 31 USS employees responded to the survey. Across all six participating universities, the Docking Institute received a response rate of 36.6%.
Key findings:
- More than 70% of WSU UPS employees and 60% of WSU USS employees said their work is greatly appreciated by their immediate supervisors. Over half of both groups also feel appreciated by their coworkers. In fact, WSU USS employees reported higher appreciation from department heads (58%) compared to the statewide average (41%).
- About 45% of USS employees and 40% of UPS employees said morale had worsened in the past two years. Salary stagnation and added duties without additional pay were the main reasons cited. Concerns about leadership, workplace culture and workload were also noted.
- Pay and compensation ranked as the most important issue for both USS and UPS. Nearly 90% of WSU USS employees and more than 80% of WSU UPS employees placed it at the top of their priorities.
- Employees placed high importance on flexible scheduling, hybrid work options, improved health care benefits, tuition assistance and professional development. Parking, workload balance and leadership transparency were also frequent concerns.
- Nearly 30% of USS employees and more than a third of UPS employees said they are looking for another job. Most of those reported interest in leaving for off-campus employment. This is consistent with the statewide average.
- Roughly 80% of WSU UPS employees and 87% of WSU USS employees said they enjoy the things they do at work and feel sufficiently trained to complete their duties. This is higher than the statewide average.
As the Staff Senate moves forward, along with WSU administration, it will look closely at the results of the survey to determine what initiatives can be developed on campus to act on the issues and topics brought forth in the responses. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions as Staff Senate proceeds, reach out to Staff Senate President Jacob Mendez or to your representative.
The Staff Senate thanks President Rick Muma for agreeing to fund the survey for Wichita State employees.
