PROFESSIONAL STAFF SURVEY FINDINGS
- Demographics
- Salary
- Benefits
- Work Load
- Supervision
- Resources
- Leadership of the Institution
- Work Place
- University Mision and Planning
- Institutional Integrity
- Comments
One hundred and eighty-five professional staff responded to the Professional Staff Survey, corresponding to a 39% response rate. Of those responding, 49% are female and 49% are male. Two percent did not indicate gender.
Organizational affiliations are:
- 9% - President's Office
- 13% - Senior Vice President and Provost's Office
- 5% - Vice President for Administration and Finance Office
- 31% - Vice President for Research, Creativity & Technology Transfer
- Office
- 17% - Vice President for Student Affairs Office
- 20% - don't know
- 5% - did not respond
Forty-one percent of those responding have been at MSU-Bozeman 0-5 years; 25% for 6-10 years, 15% for 11-15 years, 9% for 16-20 years, 3% for 21-25 years, and 2% for more than 25 years. Three percent did not indicate their years of service.
Although 46% of professional staff responding either "agree" or "strongly agree" that their salary is adequate for the work they do, 53% do not agree. Forty-eight percent agree that their salary is adequate compared to other employees who perform similar work within the university; 39% do not agree. Forty percent agree that pay increases have been determined fairly even though there are not official salary guidelines for professional staff; 43% disagree.
Sixty-two percent of professional staff responding are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their level of health insurance coverage; 35% are dissatisfied. Nearly one-half of professional staff are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their out-of-pocket costs for health insurance; the other half are dissatisfied. Forty-seven percent are satisfied with the current Employee Wellness program, although 38% find it unsatisfactory.
Sixty-three percent are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with our Flexible Spending Plan that covers medical expenses. Nearly two-thirds of professional staff, when asked if our Flexible Spending Plan that covers child care expenses is satisfactory, either don't know or do not feel the statement applies. Twenty-five percent are satisfied with the plan.
Ninety-five percent of professional staff responding are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the amount of sick leave they receive. Seventy percent feel the amount of vacation leave they receive compared to faculty is satisfactory.
Eighty-four percent of professional staff are satisfied with their basic life insurance coverage. Sixty-one percent feel their retirement package is adequate for their future needs; one-quarter, however, feel it is inadequate.
Fifty-two percent of professional staff feel the tuition waivers offered are satisfactory; 22% feel the waivers are unsatisfactory. Sixty-one percent either "agree" or "strongly agree" that the professional development opportunities are adequate to help them stay current in their jobs; however, 36% do not agree with this statement.
Seventy-four percent of professional staff responding feel they should have the opportunity to take sabbatical leave.
Sixty-two percent of professional staff responding either "agree" or "strongly agree" that their work load is consistent with other employees at our university who have similar jobs; 23% do not agree with this statement. Sixty-three percent agree that they have the time to complete their work in a quality way, although 35% do not agree with this statement.
When asked if the implementation of Banner 2000 has positively affected their ability to do their job, 85% either "disagree" or "strongly disagree."
Thirty-one percent do not feel the restructuring of the Montana University System has positively affected their work load; 61% either do not know or do not feel this statement applies.
Professional staff in general were very positive about the quality of supervision they receive. Nearly all statements made received from 77% to 97% "agree" or "strongly agree" selections. Statements included clear job expectations, opportunities to discuss job-related concerns, flexibility to respond to personal and family emergencies during work hours, opportunities to take on added responsibility, being treated with respect, opportunities to be creative, opportunities to learn needed skills, recognition of contributions made, and fair evaluation of work performance. The only outliers were accurate judgement of performance (23% did not agree), and guidance to perform effectively (29% did not agree).
Nearly two-thirds of professional staff responding either "agree" or "strongly agree" that their department/office provides sufficient resources to perform their job; 36% do not agree with this statement. Sixty-four percent agree that their department/office provides sufficient travel resources to meet job expectations, 29% do not agree with this statement.
Eighty percent of professional staff either "agree" or "strongly agree" that they have sufficient equipment to satisfactorily perform their jobs; 20% do not agree. Sixty-seven percent agree that they have sufficient support staff to satisfactorily perform their jobs; 34% do not agree with this statement.
Ninety-one percent of professional staff responding agree that they have adequate access to a computer so they can remain informed about campus issues and activities, 94% agree that they have adequate e-mail access, and 77% agree that they have adequate access to computer-knowledgeable people for the technical assistance they need.
Seventy percent of professional staff responding agree that software/hardware troubleshooting is provided in a timely fashion; however, 24% do not agree with this statement. Sixty-three percent agree that required repair work is provided in a timely fashion; 28% do not agree.
Nearly one-half of professional staff responding either "agree" or "strongly agree" that they are given opportunities to serve on campus committees; 29% do not agree. Thirty-five percent are not satisfied with professional staff representation on key committees, 45% do not know or do not feel this statement applies. Twenty-seven percent agree that the assignment of professional staff to committees is equitable; 21%% feel it is not equitable, and 50% do not know or do not feel this statement applies. Forty-two percent are satisfied with professional staff representation on search committees for positions which affect them; 22% are not satisfied, and another 36% either do not know or do not feel this statement applies.
Twenty-seven percent of professional staff responding either "agree" or "strongly agree" that Professional Council adequately represents their interests. Fifty-six percent either do not know or do not feel this statement applies.
One-half of professional staff responding do not agree that central administration considers the views of professional staff when making decisions. Twenty-eight percent do not know or do not feel this statement applies. Thirty percent do not feel they are given sufficient opportunity for input into the planning of the university budget.
Thirty-six percent of professional staff either "disagree" or "strongly disagree" that the restructuring of the Montana University system has benefitted our campus. Fifty-four percent either do not know or do not feel the statement applies. There is no clear response to the statement that the reputation of MSU-Bozeman remains unchanged even though there are other campuses in the state with similar names.
Seventy-six percent of professional staff responding either "agree" or "strongly agree" that the physical environment of their work place is adequate for the job they need to do; 24% do not agree with this statement. Two-thirds agree that their individual work place is adequately cleaned; 30% do not agree. Three-quarters agree that the furnishings/equipment in their work place are adequately maintained; 22% do not agree.
University Mission and Planning
Sixty percent of professional staff responding agree that the stated tripartite mission for MSU-Bozeman is appropriate to the activities of the university. Twenty-three percent do not agree. Seventy percent feel that future decision-making should be guided by the Long-Range Plan.
Sixty-four percent of professional staff responding do not know or feel the statement does not apply to them when asked if the process undertaken by the 1997-98 Special Review Committee has assisted the University in its planning efforts.
Sixty-six percent of professional staff responding do not know or feel the statement does not apply to them when asked if the process undertaken by the 198-99 Strategic Planning and Budget Committee will result in the implementation of more integrated budgetary and planning decisions.
Twenty-three percent of professional staff responding agree that institutional regulations are consistently applied at all levels; 37% disagree. Seventy-seven percent agree that they have adequate access to the institutional policies they need to do their work. One-half agree that the university communicates relevant information to all of its constituents; 31% do not agree.
Forty-six percent of professional staff either "agree" or "strongly agree" that the university has adequate procedures for dealing with disciplinary issues involving students; however, 42% either do not know or do not feel this statement applies.
Fifty-eight percent of professional staff agree that the administration supports ethnic and gender diversity on this campus; 21% do not agree. About fifty-three percent agree that the university has adequate procedures for dealing with sexual harassment as well as discrimination, although 38% either do not know or do not feel these statements apply.
Professional staff were asked their level of satisfaction with their job at MSU-Bozeman. Eighty-two percent reported that they are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their jobs.
Three additional questions were asked under this section. Responses represent the reasons most frequently given.
The first question was, "As a professional staff member, what do you like most about MSU-Bozeman?" The top three reasons are: PEOPLE (collegiality, dedication), LOCATION (geographic area, surrounding area, environment, campus architecture, Bozeman), and FREEDOM/FLEXIBILITY (freedom to pursue research objectives, professional freedom, flexibility to manage time).
The second question was, "As a professional staff member, what do you like least about MSU-Bozeman?" The top three reasons are: PAY (low salaries, absence of merit-based reward system, cost of living relative to salaries), ADMINISTRATION (decisions, communication, inaction, crisis management), and RESOURCES (budget shortfalls, spreading resources too thin, benefit erosion).
The last question was open-ended to allow respondents to comment on any issue not included in the survey. The top responses were a reiteration of the three reasons given in the second question.