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UCOP Employee Survey Results
April 23, 2008

Dear Colleagues:

The results of the UCOP staff survey are now in and available online. I encourage everyone to take a look at them.

Half of UCOP staff took the survey, and I extend my sincere thanks to those of you who participated – your views are important, and we take your comments and needs to heart. Provost Hume and I have reviewed the results with vice presidents, who expressed a commitment to addressing the key issues identified by the survey results, and President-designate Yudof has also requested a briefing so he can better understand your perspectives as we redefine and restructure UCOP.

I was pleased to learn that the majority of you feel good about the work you do and your relationship with your supervisors, and that overall you feel your area is empowered to make decisions. The results also indicated a commitment to high quality work and customer service, which is something that will only become more important as we continue to move toward becoming a leaner and more effective organization.

Other results suggest the importance of restructuring our organization. From the outset we said restructuring was not only about working better, but also working differently. You seem to embrace that view, and expressed a strong desire to break down departmental silos and to improve communication across the organization. The results further suggest that you are open and welcome to change.

You also expressed dissatisfaction with some aspects of UCOP's work environment and several clear needs that we'll work to address:

1. Improve communications, especially with senior leadership, and transparency

I hope we have already begun to address this by the steps we've taken over the last several months to strengthen direct communication to and from Rory and me, such as our informational updates and the restructuring Web site, the staff breakfasts and brown bags, and the town hall meetings. We are also striving to swiftly share with you as much information as possible, and to present it in a clear and understandable way. Still, there's more we can and will do here.

ACTION:

• We will continue to hold forums that allow for face-to-face interaction between staff and UCOP leadership, such as town halls and brown bags, and, of course, we will also continue to be in touch with you and solicit your input through our electronic communications and organizational updates.
• We will also do another survey like this one sometime in the next 12-18 months.
• If you've followed some of the press coverage President-designate Yudof has received, you know he brings to UC a strong commitment to transparency and accountability, and to open communication with staff.

Meanwhile, if you have any specific suggestions about how we might continue improve staff-leadership communication, please don't hesitate to send them along.

2. More teamwork and collaboration at all levels and across divisions

I view this as critical. As we get smaller and more focused through the restructuring process, increased collaboration and interdependency, both within and beyond our immediate units, will be a necessary requirement. To help realize that, we will develop resources and strategies focused specifically on improving collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork.

ACTION:

• As part of the consolidation and redefining of operational units, we will continue the change management and other support services currently being offered, and we will also look to supplement them with tools and resources that focus specifically on team-building and improving cross-functional collaboration.

3. More opportunities for professional development and career paths

A hallmark of OP staff is your deep commitment to the University, and we in leadership positions at OP need to do a better job in fostering and rewarding that kind of loyalty. As OP becomes smaller, we will need to clearly highlight career opportunities not only at OP, but also at other UC locations.

ACTION:

• We will develop a plan over the next several months for improving career development and progression opportunities, both at OP and across the system, and we will share it with you as soon as it is complete.

4. Maintaining an ethical work environment

As a public institution, and as an organization striving to be a good workplace, it is important that we conduct ourselves ethically. I was pleased to learn that a majority of the survey participants are willing to report unethical behavior and believe their department operates with high ethical standards. However, roughly half of the participants indicated a concern about retaliation for reporting unethical behavior, which concerns me. 

I underscore for all employees that our whistleblower process allows for complete anonymity, if desired, and that retaliation is not tolerated.

• Additionally, management has an “open door” policy regarding the reporting of concerns about unethical behavior, and employees should feel free to raise concerns without fear of retaliation.
• If any employee has a concern about retaliation, he or she should contact Human Resources or Senior Vice President/Chief Compliance Officer Vacca immediately.

Thank you again to those who participated in the survey. We will continue to study the survey results, and, as mentioned, I will discuss them with the new president when he takes office to assess what other actions we might take to continue to strengthen OP and to address your needs and concerns. As we redefine and restructure OP, we not only expect to effect a more strategic focus and more appropriate organizational structure, but we also strive to make OP the kind of place where employees feel good about working – your input is critical to that effort.

As always, if you have anything you'd like to share with or ask Provost Hume or me, please feel free to be in touch via the restructuring Web site.

Sincerely,

Katie
Katherine N. Lapp
Executive Vice President, Business Operations