We Speak 2020

The WE SPEAK Survey process, held early in 2020, was designed to provide faculty and staff with an opportunity to express their views about their day-to-day work experience at Western University. This was the third survey in the past eight years. This first two surveys completed at Western were in 2012 and 2017.

The input received has helped to identify what is working well, and where there is opportunity for improvement by measuring workplace culture and employee engagement across Western.

Following the 2012 and 2017 surveys, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry worked in teams to address the areas of concern. Through focus groups, individual meetings and town halls, faculty and staff shared their feedback on the survey results, and an action plan was created.

Results from WE SPEAK 2020

Western University

Some of the highlights from the 2020 survey overall at Western:

  • Response rates are higher than the 2017 survey. More than 3,800 Western faculty and staff members (of 6,000 possible respondents) took part. The overall response rate increased from approximately 45% in 2017 to 64% in 2020.
  • Full-time staff had an 82% response rate and full-time faculty members had a 63% response rate.
  • Western had notably high Organizational Engagement scores (74.6%).
  • Overall, Organizational Engagement scores are slightly higher than in 2017, while Faculty/Division Engagement and Work Engagement are somewhat lower.
  • In general, staff members show higher levels of Organizational Engagement and Division/Faculty Engagement than faculty members, while faculty members show higher levels in Work Engagement.
  • In Culture Values, Western saw an increase of 2.4% in Innovation, but a decrease in Human Relations (-2.6%), Results Oriented (-2.3%) and Stability (-3%).

View Western-wid e WE SP EAK sur vey results - presentation to Campus Council June 22, 2020

View a Summary of Key Result

Schulich Medicine & Dentistry

Overall survey response rates increased by 21.1% at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry compared to the 2017 survey. Breaking this down, the faculty response rate was 54.8% compared to 17% in 2017 (Note: in 2017 clinical faculty were included, however in 2020 they were not included). The staff response rate was 59.4% compared to 54.4% in 2017.

Thank you to all faculty and staff for helping to create awareness about the survey and for taking the time to share their feedback.

You can review all the high level results for Schulich Medicine & Dentistry through this PowerPoint presentation.

Next Steps

The School’s leadership has received and reviewed all the results from the survey. A presentation providing overall results for the School was made to the Executive Committee of the Schulich Council and shared with all faculty and staff.

Based on the results from this year’s survey the School has been working on a plan to strengthen and enrich the culture at the School. Part of this plan includes work focused to:

  • Gain greater clarity around the role each person plays in our plan, and how their contribution matters to the advancement/success of our faculty and our institution.
  • Review organizational structures to ensure they are best supporting the needs of the School.
  • Develop a greater commitment to the principles and practices of diversity among our faculty, staff and students as measured by recruitment, training and advancement.
  • Introduce regular semi-annual town halls with each department to better understand and respond each team's challenges and opportunities.
  • Establish an open door policy at the Dean's Office where any team member from any department can feel comfortable raising any concern and confident that it will get serious consideration/action.
  • Initiate an undertaking to bring together our clinical departments into a central location on hospital grounds to improve synergies and team spirit.