Employee Engagement Survey – Ready to Play 20 Questions?

Every 3 years we ask you to complete an anonymous survey to get important feedback on your life here at Children's Specialized. We pick this timeframe so we can have enough time to implement changes, based on your feedback, and then resurvey to see how we did. This year, we are changing from an “employee satisfaction” survey to an “employee engagement” survey.

What does employee engagement actually mean?

Employee engagement is the difference between just doing a job and loving your job. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work and the organization they work for. Organizations that create this environment and support their employees in being engaged find that they are more successful at achieving their goals both in quality and financial.

You have told me that the surveys in the past were too long and repetitive. This time, our survey is shorter and you can easily fill it out between patients, or at the beginning or end of your shift. It is just 20 questions. That’s it.

There are a couple of questions that you have asked me about privately that I thought it might be helpful to answer for all.

Q: “Is my pay fair?”
A: You have told me you will most likely reply “no” to this question on any survey, because if you all say yes, no one will ever have a raise. It is my wish that we had all of the gold in the world to pay you not what your work is worth, but what you mean to the lives of the children we serve and to me. As these economic times have challenged us all, this question is really asking you to compare your salary to what you know of those who work in your household or in a similar field.

Please remember, we have made decisions over the last few years to avoid mass layoffs, and we have made difficult decisions so people could keep their jobs. All those decisions relate to pay and making sure people could keep their jobs and be paid fairly, compared to other hospitals and employers.

Q: “Why can’t I share my concerns about people I do not report to?”
A: Sometimes you say that you love your Supervisor, but have a problem with their boss, and the survey doesn't let you weigh in on that. The survey asks you to rate the person you report to directly. The situation is hard to analyze when there isn't a direct reporting relationship. he information may be skewed based upon your interactions which may be anecdotal.

There are open ended questions included to give you the chance to include any of that information that you think would make the organization better. I would especially ask if you participate in meetings or tasks that you think don't add value to you or the organization, this is a good place to share these suggestions if you don't feel like you can give that feedback to your Supervisor. Also, if you had put a suggestion out and felt like it fell on deaf ears, and don't want to use the rumor mill, you can put it in the open ended questions on this survey.

Q: “Is it really anonymous?”
A: It is absolutely anonymous. However, if you are the only direct report to your Supervisor - then of course your Supervisor will know it is you. Or if you include in your open ended answers words or phrases that only you use - like “Wahoo!” for me - no one else says that but me! Then someone may make the guess that it is you, but under no circumstances do we get names with the survey.

Q; "Do different work units work well together?"
A: On this question, answer from your personal experience and not from heresay. This is about what you have personally witnessed, not what you’ve heard.

Please take this time NOW to ask me anything about the survey. Leave your comments below.

The survey will be sent to all employees on December 5. Please answer the questions. Your sincere feedback will help Children’s Specialized become a better place to work, and in turn we will provide better care to our patients and families.