Frequently Asked Questions
Staff Engagement Survey
- Will my responses be anonymous?
- Why are we conducting a survey of staff?
- Who is eligible to complete the survey?
- Why should I complete the survey?
- When and how can I complete the survey?
- How long will it take me to complete the survey?
- What do I do if I lose the link to the survey?
- What can I do if I’m having trouble completing the survey online?
- What will happen with my response/information?
- Can the demographic information be used to identify survey respondents?
- Where can I seek further help?
Will my responses be anonymous?
Absolutely. We have taken a lot of care about how individual responses are handled to ensure anonymity, including the following:
- The survey form is hosted by SurveyMonkey and only the survey administrator (currently the Professional and Organisational Development Manager, Mike Bell) can edit the form and access results
- The raw data responses are carefully filtered by SurveyMonkey to ensure there is no personal identifying information (name, email and IP address of the device used to complete the survey are not included)
- No reports or other aggregated data are generated for any group which has fewer than 10 respondees
Personal details (name and email address) are used by SurveyMonkey to monitor completion so that reminders can be directed only to staff who have not completed the survey, but cannot be linked with any individual responses.
Note that the survey link sent to you in an email inviting you to participate is customised for you and is not transferable - i.e. forwarding the link to someone else will only provide access to your survey form. If anyone loses their survey link they should contact the survey administrator (Mike Bell, ext 8894 email [email protected]).
Why are we conducting a survey of staff?
We want to find out more about what it’s like to work at the University of Waikato today. What are the great things about working at the University and what are the things that we can improve about working at the University?
The purpose of this survey is to:
- seek feedback about your experiences of working at the University of Waikato;
- identify the great things about working at the University and some changes we can make that would most improve your working experience;
- establish a data “benchmark” so that we can compare these factors over time.
The results from this survey will inform actions to further improve the experience of working at the University.
Who is eligible to complete the survey?
All staff who work at least 0.5 fulltime on a six month or longer contract are invited to participate in the survey.
Note that some invitations to participate in previous Staff Surveys went to the Spam or Junk email folder, so if you are eligible and did not receive and invitation with your personalised link please check your spam. Also note that you will not receive an invitation if you have ever opted out of a SurveyMonkey survey (including surveys created in SurveyMonkey sent from other organisations) and you will need to manually opt back in by visiting this page and entering your University email address (the one which incorporates your username, rather than the [email protected] alias).
Why should I complete the survey?
This is your chance to have a say. The Vice-Chancellor hasinstigated this survey to find out what staff think, and will be considering the collated results carefully. We want to know about your experience of the University of Waikato and what matters to you.
Hear what a few other staff have to say in a YouTube video clip.
When and how can I complete the survey?
You will receive an email including the website address and instructions for completing the online survey. You can complete the survey on any web capable device. If you have any difficulties accessing the survey contact Mike Bell, ext 8894 email [email protected].
The survey will be confidential and all responses will be submitted directly to SurveyMonkey.
Please note that we are only sending invitations to staff who work 0.5 fulltime or greater and who are employed for six months or longer.
How long will it take me to complete the survey?
On average it should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete the full staff survey. It is possible to complete part of the survey and later return to complete the remainder (using the link provided in the email invitation). On completion you may review your responses before submitting. Note that responses are automatically saved when you advance through each page of the survey.
What do I do if I lose the link to the survey?
The survey link sent to you in an email inviting you to participate is customised for you and is not transferable - i.e. forwarding the link to someone else will only provide access to your survey form. If you lose your survey link, contact the survey administrator (Mike Bell, ext 8894 email [email protected]) so that a new link can be generated for you, or you can wait for an automated reminder which will be sent to you a week or so after the survey opens.
What can I do if I’m having trouble completing the survey online?
The survey is available online from any device with web access. If you are having difficulty accessing the survey online, contact Mike Bell, ext 8894 email [email protected].
What will happen with my response/information?
Your response to the survey is submitted directly to SurveyMonkey. Reports will be compiled summarising trends across the University of Waikato and also within top and second tier units (i.e. Faculty and School or Division and next level unit or equivalent where 10 or more responses have been received). The data will also be analysed to determine if different groups of staff have unique experiences and concerns (eg. academic versus general staff). The University will not be able to identify your specific response. The survey is anonymous. To ensure confidentiality, when we analyse data we will only report aggregated scores from groups of 10 or more respondents.
Can the demographic information be used to identify survey respondents?
No. Individual responses will remain anonymous and we will only report aggregated scores from groups of 10 or more respondents.
It is important that we include demographic data so that we can determine how particular groups experience working at The University of Waikato and so we can develop appropriate target actions to improve their working experience. The following demographic information will be linked to each response: organisational unit, length of service, gender, ethnicity, and academic/general category.
Further Help
Contact Mike Bell, ext 8894 email [email protected]