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Pete Walker - Internet Development ManagerChristian Carter – Personnel Manager

Staff Opinion at your fingertips

The use of online surveys with Research Staff

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Today’s presentation

• Background to the Contract Research Staff On-line Survey (CROS) project

• Creating a survey (demonstration)• The results - how have surveys made a

difference?• Future for CROS• Questions and Answers

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CROS is a project to…

• Deliver a common online survey to as many UK HEI’s as wish to take part and who are willing to share results.

• To get feedback from Contract Research Staff on issues such as– Induction, supervision, review & support– career progression and aspirations– training & development – Communication

• Allow HEI’s to pose their own questions

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CROS is a project to…

• Provide instant online reports to an Institution showing the responses from their CRS…

• …and those of all other HEI’s taking part• Encourage HEI’s to learn from each other and

share good employment practice• Evaluate impact of actions through regular

participation in CROS• Contribute to overall improvement in UK

research

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CROS history• The 1996 ‘Concordat’• Bristol Web-based survey in 1999• Bristol and Leeds surveys in 2000• HEFCE/OST funding in 2001• Jan/Feb 2002 – 17 HEI’s, 24% of CRS responded• Extended funding, independent evaluation,

2002 Personnel Today Awards finalist ‘Excellence in HR using technology’

• Feb 2003 – 47 HEI’s, 30% of CRS responded (6000 research staff)

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CROS survey tool – design principles

• Web-based– No technical set-up (ILRT host)– Scalable– No bits of paper!

• Usable and accessible– Intuitive to use (no training)– Meets W3C guidelines and disability legislation– Works over a modem for both administrators and

CRS

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CROS survey tool – the software

• www.cros.ac.uk

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0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

< 24 24-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65 > 65Age

%

Age of respondents

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Male Female

%Gender of respondents

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Did you receive any form of induction when you started with your current employer?

0

10

20

3040

50

60

70

Yes No

%

UK average ‘yes’ = 49%

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% of those that found induction a useful process?

010203040506070

Institution Department Role

Induction Area

%

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Source of careers advice

Supervisor

Uni careers service

Other Careers service

Colleagues

Funding body

13

0

20

40

60

80

100

Supervisor Uni careersservice

Other Careersservice

Internalcolleagues

Funding body

Source

%

Those that found the advice useful

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57%

12%

3%

1%

21%

6%

Research

Lecturing

Admin

Teaching

Undecided

Other

Where would you place your longer term career aspirations?

15

Other Public15%

Voluntary1%

Private8%

Undecided32%

HE44%

HE

Other Public

Voluntary

Private

Undecided

In What sector would you place these longer term career aspirations?

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

A great deal Partly Not much Not at all

%

How far has your employment with this organisation improved you chances of achieving these career

aspirations?

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01020304050607080

Excellent Good Poor Very poor

%How would you rate the accessibility of training and development information?

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0

10

20

30

40

50

Easy Fairly easy Not easy Very difficult

%How easy is it to attend training and

development activity?

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56%

44% Yes

No

Have you participated in the University Staff Review / Appraisal Scheme?

UK average taken part = 32%

20

38

76

54 5249

01020304050607080

leading to training(UK 39%)

leading to workpractice changes

(UK 31%)

highlightingproblems (UK 61%)

finding solutions toproblems (UK 42%)

focus on careeraspirations (UK

46%)

%

A useful process in the following areas

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University effectiveness at communicating relevant policy & guidance

13

54

28

5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Very good Good Poor Very poor

UK average v.good/good = 50%

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Big issues and what we have done

Induction Induction coordinators in all departments

Newly designed University Induction

Topic on Supervisors training session

Staff Review

New staff review forms for CRS focusing on career aspirations

‘Benefits of Staff Review for CRS’ Web Site

Topic on Supervisors training session

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Big issues and what we have done cont…

Training & Development

Training Needs Analysis for CRS feed into Personnel budget

Extra £30,000 for CRS Training and Development activity

Range of ‘transferable skills’ activities

Teaching qualifications and skills for CRS

Career Development

Appointment of a 0.5 FTE CRS Careers Adviser (1:1’s, workshops, supervisor development, employer contact)

CRS Career development Web site

Topic on Supervisors training session

Research Career paths at Bristol

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Big issues and what we have done cont…

Supervisor development 4 hour workshop for all CRS Supervisors (compulsory)

Target group 800 people, 35% complete (18 months)

Focus on issues that CROS demonstrated made a difference to CRS and which Supervisors have a key role

Communication

CRS Web site

CRS E-mail list linked to Personnel database

CRS ‘Events’

Leaflets / posters highlighting services e.g careers adviser, training opportunities

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Big issues and what we have done cont…

Evaluation Annual issue of Web based opinion survey to CRS (1999,2000,2002(CROS 1),2003 (CROS 2)

Gauge impact of actions, adjust priorities and ‘make cases’ as a result of feedback

CRS Working Party Annual Report (2000, 2001, 2002), to VC, Registrar, all Heads of Department and all CRS via Web

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As a result of actions taken…………

• Quality of departmental induction = 37% improvement• Frequency of project review meetings = 28% improvement• Quality of Research Staff information Web site = 11%

improvement• Number attending at least 1 ‘off the job’ training session in

last year = 6% improvement• Participation in Staff Review & Appraisal = 4% improvement

Can Web surveys make a difference?

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What we need to do next…

2002 annual report highlights a series of 17 actions Some are much of the same e.g increase participation of CRS Supervisor training

Some new actions:

Development of a CV database/recruitment tool

Implement an ‘on-line’ induction tool for CRS

CROS will continue at Bristol as a first class performance and evaluation tool

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• Steering Group and CROS partner HEIs recommend continuation

• Final report of RCI recommends continuation• Proposal for long-term service currently with

HEFCE/OST– CROS nationwide in 2005 and 2007– New CRS Supervisors survey in 2004 and 2006– Overview analysis of results– HERE.ac.uk web site– Case studies of good practice– Replace Research Councils surveys?– National conference(s)?

The Future for CROS

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Bristol Online Surveys (BOS)

• CROS reused to produce ASSET survey for the Athena Project and became BOS

• BOS used in Bristol for– Technicians survey– Post-graduate survey– Departmental survey– UK Economics lecturers

• Other Universities using BOS

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Thank youQuestions?

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Contact Details• Pete Walker

Institute for Learning and Research Technology8 -10 Berkeley SquareUniversity of BristolBristol BS8 1HHpeter.walker@bristol.ac.uk

• Christian CarterPersonnel ServicesUniversity of BristolSenate HouseTyndall AvenueBristol BS8 1THchristian.carter@bristol.ac.uk