Campus Work Experience Survey

About the Survey Instrument

UC Merced is launching a Campus Work Experience survey to better understand the experiences, needs, and perspectives of our campus community, to be inclusive of all staff and faculty, including both represented and non-represented staff, senate and non-senate faculty, postdoctoral scholars, researchers, and librarians.

The Campus Work Experience Committee was established to design and lead a renewed, actionable assessment of faculty and staff work experiences at UC Merced. The assessment will yield insights that inform leadership decision-making and unit-level strategies to foster well-being and productivity across the university, allowing for continuous improvement of faculty and staff work experiences. The committee is using state-of-the-art employee survey design and data analysis practices to ensure methodological rigor, confidentiality and actionable recommendations.

The survey is aligned with our Principles of Community. These principles reflect our ongoing efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures lifelong learning and growth for all of its members.

 

How is this different from other surveys?

Although our campus administers a host of surveys, the vast majority pertain to student experiences or are special topic surveys. This effort is also distinct from other recent faculty campus surveys, such as the climate of respect survey, which was around classroom specific experiences. This survey is designed as a comprehensive assessment of employee experience and will be administered to both faculty and staff, as the last comprehensive survey of staff was conducted in 2018, and the most recent faculty survey was conducted in 2023.

As part of the strategic plan recalibration, staff expressed interest in being included in upcoming work experience surveys; by bringing both staff and faculty audiences together into one coordinated assessment and expanding the breadth of topics covered, this survey aims to provide a more integrated and inclusive understanding of our campus work environment.

 

How long is the survey?

The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

 

Survey Content

The survey was developed using validated scales, questions from previous climate surveys, and internally developed questions to address additional areas of interest to campus partners.

 

 

The survey will focus on broad themes related to the work environment, including well-being, workplace climate, engagement, communication, institutional support for faculty and staff, and physical space.

 

Need to Take the Survey?

The survey was distributed to the campus community directly to every respondents' inbox. Please check your email inbox for your personal survey link. Please be aware that the link is personalized by Qualtrics for your individual use. If you forward it to anyone else, they will not be able to access the survey.

Issues accessing the survey? Please contact analyticshub@ucmerced.edu

 

Committee

The survey instrument is a collaborative effort led by the Campus Work Experience Survey Committee, co-led by:

  • Christiane Spitzmueller, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Strategy
  • Delia Saenz, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Equity, Justice, and Inclusive Excellence
  • Anna Song, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost for Academic Personnel.

The committee includes representatives from the following units:

  • Academic Affairs
  • Audit
  • Academic Personnel
  • Center of Institutional Effectiveness
  • Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence
  • Faculty Senate
  • Human Resources
  • Ombuds
  • POPD
  • Staff Assembly

 

What is the survey timeline? 

  • Survey launch: Mid-March

  • Close of survey: Early April

  • Preliminary results discussion with Chancellor: Mid-April

  • Discussion with campus stakeholders: Early May

  • Dashboard available to campus community: Early May

 

Will results be shared?

A summary of findings will be shared broadly with faculty and staff, and an interactive dashboard will be developed and shared with the campus community to explore aggregate responses.

 

What was done with prior survey findings? 

Previous survey findings have informed the development of training programs and process improvements to better support faculty and staff. This survey continues that commitment to using data to guide meaningful action. 

 

How will my privacy be protected?

To protect your confidentiality:

  • The survey will be administered and analyzed by Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS) within the Center of Institutional Effectiveness (CIE).
  • Data will be handled in accordance with campus information security policy.
  • Responses will be kept strictly confidential.
  • No individual‑level data will be shared.
  • Campus leaders, supervisors, and committee members will not have access to individual responses.
  • Results will only be reported for groups with five or more respondents.

 

Confidentiality and Reporting Obligations:

Staff in the Center of Institutional Effectiveness (CIE) are considered Responsible Employees under University policy. As a result, if responses to open-ended survey questions include disclosures of specific incidents of sexual harassment, sexual violence, discrimination, or harassment, CIE is required to share information with the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD). (Responsible Employee Definitions) (list of actions requiring reporting) (link to report an incident).

If a respondent indicates that they experienced one of these actions at UC Merced at any point (past or present), OPHD may reach out to provide information about available reporting options and support services.

Questions, Reporting, and Support Resources:

 

Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD)

If you have any questions or concerns regarding discrimination, harassment, sexual violence, or sexual harassment, you may contact:

ophd@ucmerced.edu

(209) 4134652

 

UC Merced Office of the Ombuds:

A safe, confidential, and informal place you can go to for informal assistance with managing conflict, complaints, and concerns with a colleague, classmate, supervisor or anyone else on campus:

Visit the website at: https://ombuds.ucmerced.edu/

Call to schedule an appointment: (209) 228-4410

 

Where can I go for support or to report an incident?

A list of campus resources is available here.  This includes mental health services, medical care, law enforcement options, and general support resources.

If you are in immediate danger or need urgent assistance, please contact the UC Merced Police Department at (209) 228-2677 (24 Hour-Line).