The College of William and Mary’s Office of Human Resources released the results of its 2010 employee survey last week, revealing opinions on subjects such as compensation, benefits, training, communications and job satisfaction.
Of the employees surveyed, only 30 percent said that they felt fairly compensated for their work.
Only 20 percent said they believed their pay has increased in proportion to an increase in responsibilities, which is down 10 percent since 2007.
“State employees have not received a raise since November 2007, and the impact of that reality shows in the survey’s results on workers compensation,” Vice President for Administration Anna Martin said in a press release. “When you consider that fact, to hear more than 90 percent say they enjoy working at the College is a powerful reminder of the great devotion our employees have to William & Mary.”
Compared to 54 percent in 2007, 65 percent of employees said they believed their pay was not comparable to that of similar positions outside of William and Mary. However, 57 percent said they understood how their pay was determined, up from 50 percent in 2007.
According to the results obtained in August by the Office of Human Resources, 69 percent of eligible employees participated in the survey, with 53 percent completing it.
Highlights of the survey include marked increases in multiple areas. Of those who participated, 78 percent either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” to the statement that the College is a well-run institution — an increase from 61 percent in 2007. In addition, 67 percent said they believed the College treats its employees fairly, up from 55 percent, and 92 percent said they believe their workplace is safe, up from 76 percent in 2007.
Martin noted that there were some anomalies in the data, including the fact that in some areas there were more responses than the number of eligible employees.
This was due to instructional faculty mistakenly responding to the online survey, Martin said.
Despite such errors, the College decided to publish the results.
“The survey still contains valuable information that will enable us to better understand our workplace environment, evaluate what we are doing well and identify where we need to improve,” Martin said.
This most recent climate survey is a follow-up to a similar one conducted in 2007, and is a part of the College’s plan to administer such surveys every three years.
The 21-item questionnaire polled classified hourly and professional faculty employees at both the College and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester.
The Faculty Assembly conducts a similar survey of instructional faculty every three years, with the last results released in 2009.