Engage, Inspire, Thrive
Employee Engagement at Smith College
We strive to be a welcoming and inclusive workplace dedicated to fostering connection, collaboration, and professional growth among our employees. Join us to engage with colleagues, share ideas, and build the work environment that allows us individually and and collectively to thrive.
62%
of Smith employees participated in the 2024 Employee Engagement Survey.
64%
of Smith College employees feel engaged, an increase of 2% from the previous year.
Why does Smith College care about Engagement?
Engagement is a measure of people’s connection and commitment to the company and its goals. By lifting it, we can impact performance, innovation, retention and attraction of talent.
What are we doing about it?
Earlier in 2024, we launched an engagement survey. In support of the survey, we held 18 sessions with groups of union and non-union employees. A range of topics were discussed, including: transparency from leadership and managers; staff development and training; communication opportunities across departments; and career mobility, advancement, and development. As a result of our sessions, we developed 18 short- and long-term proposals for creating a better work environment. To date, we have acted on two of the proposals by debuting a newly revamped all-staff meeting format and launching career framework. Another proposal, manager training, is currently in progress. All other proposals are being reviewed.
Our Strengths
It delights us to know that, overall, employees at Smith feel they have autonomy and would recommend the college as a great place to work. Acknowledging our strengths is a good place to start—check out some statistics we hope to maintain going forward.
86%
of employees report they know what they need to do to be successful in their roles.
84%
of employees report they have enough autonomy to perform their jobs effectively.
84%
of employees report they understand how their work contributes to the mission of the college.
75%
of employees say they would recommend Smith as a great place to work.
77%
of employees say they are proud to work for Smith.
A Deeper Look
In addition to engagement, we asked questions about other factors regarding our workplace and culture. The 18 factors we researched included work-life balance, inclusion, leadership, benefits, social connection, and many more. Of the 18 factors we questioned participants about, 16 improved from our last survey and two remained the same.
“I think Smith is great. I really enjoy the sense of community and support I've felt since coming here.”
[Regarding Career Framework] “It will be great to know how I might fit into another department's team with transferable skills.”
“Lots of educational opportunities for staff to engage in and social events.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of questions are on the survey?
Most survey items are asking about an employee’s experience working at Smith College, including questions about communication; working relationships; stress, balance and workload; inclusion and belonging, leadership, working environment and college culture. All questions also allow for additional comments.
Why aren’t there any demographic questions?
Demographic information is sent to CultureAmp, but Smith is only able to see data from the survey if there is a minimum of 5 employees in any demographic group.
Some questions refer to leaders or managers, what does this mean?
College leadership: Refers to the President and the President’s Team.
Manager: Refers to the person to whom you directly report and who has primary responsibility for managing your activities.
Are all employees invited to take the survey?
The survey is open to all benefits eligible employees.
Are my responses confidential?
Yes, all survey responses are confidential. We are using a third-party firm, CultureAmp, to manage this survey. Information related to where you work and your role in the organization (e.g., department, function, location, job level, tenure, etc.) has been provided to allow CultureAmp to identify which groups you belong to for summary reporting purposes only. Any individually identifying information will not be shared by CultureAmp at any time with anyone within our organization. Results are reported in summary form only and are never reported when there are fewer than 5 respondents in a group.
Are my comments confidential?
Yes. Any comments you provide are confidential. Comments are not connected to individuals.
Will my manager or others see my answers?
At no time will anyone be given information to link individuals to survey responses. Your manager and others within our organization may receive reports containing results of the survey in aggregate form (5 or more responses combined).
Are there different questions for different employees?
No, all employees will receive the same questions.
Who can I go to if I have additional questions about the survey?
Your manager or your HR partner will be able to answer questions for you regarding the survey. If you have any additional questions or concerns please e-mail hr@smith.edu.
Is the survey an assessment of my manager?
No. The survey is designed as a data-gathering tool – not an appraisal. Yes, there are questions about your manager. However these are part of a broader set of questions that also explore how people feel about their work, their work environment, senior leaders, and our organization as a whole.
Who will receive a report with survey insights?
President’s Team members will receive summary reports. Department Heads who have 5 or more direct reports are eligible to receive results. If fewer than 5 direct reports complete a survey, however, a report will not be generated.
Will my manager or others see my answers?
At no time will anyone be given information to link individuals to survey responses. Your manager and others within our organization may receive reports containing results of the survey in aggregate form (5 or more responses combined).