
As we settle into this semester, we have a few updates to share from the Fall 2024 Total Organizational Health (TOH@UTC) progress check evaluation, to which all UTC employees had the opportunity to respond in November 2024. These recurring TOH@UTC progress check evaluations, along with other campus and system surveys like the McLean and COACHE surveys provide important information that helps guide campus efforts to improve and sustain a positive and healthy work experience here at UTC. This blog post provides an overview of how our campus is doing in terms of the five overarching dimensions to the TOH@UTC framework (i.e., protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunities for growth). You can learn more about this framework by checking out previous blog posts in this series and by reviewing information available through the TOH@UTC website.
Close to 400 faculty and staff responded to the Fall 2024 TOH@UTC progress check by mid-November 2024. These data were analyzed and reported out (by mid-December) to leaders of all campus units (i.e., divisions, colleges, departments, or areas) from which at least three employees responded (approximately 70 separate campus work units). These reports were modeled on the overall campus TOH@UTC data dashboard. In these reports, data from the Fall 2024 survey were compared to corresponding data from Spring 2024 (and, where available, Fall 2023).
At the level of specific divisions, colleges, departments, and work areas, there are positive signs of growth and improvement, as well as indications of lingering challenges and sore spots. The overall campus picture is one of general stability, but with a subtle downward dip between Spring and Fall 2024. We summarize these findings in the following subsections, with respect to each of the five overarching TOH dimensions. In these summaries, we compare employee responses from the Spring 2024 progress check evaluation (472 employee respondents) to the Fall 2024 progress check evaluation (340 employee responses), reporting weighted median responses and interquartile ranges (IQR) to provide a snapshot of what the “typical” UTC employee was feeling about the core components to TOH at the end of last semester, taking into account sample size differences across the participating division and college units. As you review these values, please note that all progress check evaluation items are scaled from 1 = Disagree strongly to 5 = Agree strongly, so higher scores indicate a more positive perception of any particular TOH dimension. If you do not find these values to reflect the way you feel about one or more of these TOH dimensions, please make sure you take a few minutes to respond to the next TOH@UTC progress check evaluation, which will be available to all UTC employees in April 2025.
Protection from harm
Protection from harm involves ensuring the physical and psychological safety of UTC employees, including their risk of physical harm and their perceived ability to speak up and be heard without retaliation (i.e., psychological safety). From late Spring 2024 to late Fall 2024, median employee responses to the protection from harm measures remained stable, at 3.89 (IQR = 3.32, 4.44) for Spring 2024 versus 3.88 (IQR = 3.32, 4.40) for Fall 2024. Thus, employees are reporting fairly positive perceptions of physical and psychological safety and security, though these sentiments are not uniform across all employees.
Toward this end, and at the request of leaders in UTC’s Department of Public Safety, the Fall 2024 progress check survey included specific open-ended questions regarding employees’ recent safety and security experiences on campus. These responses were analyzed by the TOH@UTC team in December 2024, and a summary report was shared with leadership at that time. If interested, you can view a copy of this report here. At a high level, these responses indicated that of the 42% of employees who responded to these questions, a majority (70%) maintain concerns about their psychological safety on UTC’s campus, which appears to be contributing to or arising from a general lack of perceived social support, low cohesion, unequal treatment, lack of respect, job insecurity, and political unease. Among those employees who responded to these open-ended prompts, 30% expressed concerned about their physical safety, citing concerns over the crime that occurs near to/just outside campus, gun safety, student threats, unrestricted entries, environmental hazards, and lack of emergency buttons or alert systems on campus.
Mattering at work
Mattering at work encompasses one’s sense of dignity, meaning, and worth in one’s work. On this TOH dimension, median employee perceptions decreased very slightly from Spring to Fall 2024, from 4.07 (IQR = 3.71, 4.76) to 4.02 (IQR = 3.55, 4.59).
Connection and community
The connection and community dimension to the TOH framework reflects our perceptions of and experiences with social support at work, and our sense of community and interpersonal connectedness with our colleagues. From Spring 2024 to Fall 2024, median employee responses to indicators of this TOH factor increased slightly from 4.20 (IQR = 3.71, 4.76) to 4.26 (IQR = 3.59 to 4.61). Although the change in median perceptions is positive, the IQR ranges still show there is notable variability in the extent to which connection and community are being experienced by all UTC employees.
Work-life harmony
Work-life harmony describes the employee’s perceived ability to juggle and manage the demands of their personal and work lives, which is affected by their degree of autonomy and flexibility at work. Median employee perceptions of these key components to work-life held steady, at 4.14 (IQR = 3.70, 4.75) versus 4.13 (IQR = 3.62, 4.80) between Spring and Fall 2024. These data suggest that most UTC employees are perceiving a fair amount of autonomy and flexibility associated with their work. The variability in agreement within the middle 50% of employees, however, does indicate that there continue to be work-life harmony challenges.
Opportunities for growth
Opportunities for growth reflect employees’ perceptions that they can learn, develop, and experience a sense of accomplishment through their work. Consistent with the other TOH dimensions, median employee agreement with these indicators decreased slightly from Spring to Fall 2024, from 3.94 (IQR = 3.44, 4.69) to 3.88 (IQR = 3.27, 4.50). These data show a small decrease in perceptions that there are adequate growth, learning, and development opportunities and experiences for UTC employees.
So, what does this mean going forward?
These recent TOH@UTC progress check data tell two stories. One is that the typical employee is generally experiencing most of the core components to TOH outlined in the preceding sections. These perceptions have held steady through most of 2024. The other story, however, is that there is notable variability present in these data, reminding us that while many UTC employees are experiencing positive, healthy, and safe work, this is not the case for all employees. In particular, these recent data remind us that we must consciously take steps to protect our sense of dignity, meaning, and purpose (i.e., mattering) when it comes to our work. We also need to keep taking advantage of the opportunities we have to continue learning, growing, and developing in our work roles.
Fostering and maintaining a culture here at UTC that promotes and protects employee health, safety, and well-being requires ongoing commitment to the types of efforts that are currently emphasized through the TOH@UTC initiative. Collective and consistent action is required from all of us if we desire to create and sustain the best possible work experience for all UTC employees. As we continue through this semester and beyond, the TOH@UTC team encourages you to reflect on where you see strengths and areas for improvement when it comes to TOH in your daily work and how you may be able to contribute to strengthening TOH for our campus community. If you have questions or concerns, or would simply like an opportunity to talk through one or more specific TOH-related challenges, please connect with the TOH@UTC Facilitator, Dr. Chris Cunningham at toh@utc.edu or (423) 425-4264.