About the Survey
The GCTWF survey comprises 57 core statements, plus an additional five statements for faculty only, designed to assess key dynamics and relationships that influence institutional culture and performance. Employees were asked to consider their typical workday and respond to each statement using a five-point rating scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Sometimes Agree/Sometimes Disagree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree). The survey also includes 19 benefit satisfaction questions.
Employees were asked to respond to six voluntary demographic questions, while the following four were pre-loaded: Job Category, Employment Status, Employment Type and Division.
In addition to the core survey, RCC added the following two custom statements:
- In my position, I am proactive in using technology to improve my work and make processes more efficient.
- I have access to timely and accurate information about what’s happening at the institution.
The College also included the following open-text questions:
- What do you appreciate most about working at this institution?
- What would make this institution a better place to work?
- If we had to focus on one priority to improve the quality of the workplace and the strength of our culture, what would it be?
Throughout the survey, several different terms are consistently referenced. Below are the definitions that appeared on each page of the RCC survey to clarify these terms:
- Institution refers to the entire College.
- Department refers to your most immediate workgroup or team.
- Senior Leadership refers to the most senior members of the institution (e.g., President, Vice Presidents, and Deans).
- Supervisor refers to the individual to whom you directly report.
The survey invitation was sent to all faculty, staff, and administrators in February 2024, and the College received the 2024 benchmarked results from ModernThink in July 2024. The overall response rate was 39.3%, with 267 respondents out of 680 invitations. Of those,
- 68% of classified staff, 66.67% of full-time faculty, 16.71% of adjunct faculty, and 89% of administrators responded; and
- 55% have been at the College for 10 or fewer years.
Survey Reports and Findings Overview
Results are reported based on the percent of employees agreeing with each statement: Poor (0 – 44%); Warrants Attention (45 – 50%); Fair to Mediocre (55 – 64%); Good (65 – 74%); Very Good to Excellent (75 – 100%). The following Reports are available in the HR SharePoint:
ModernThink Consultants identified the following key institution-level findings:
Strengths:
- Job Satisfaction & Support (75/9)
- Faculty & Staff Well-being (74/11)
- Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness (72/13)
- Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (74/6)
- Mission & Pride (76/7)
Opportunities:
Tactical
- Onboarding (39/31)
- Recognition Formal (36/33)
- Recognition Informal (54/24)
- Compensation (58/20)
- Perception of Culture (52/21)
Cultural
- Confidence in Executive Leaders (56/16)
- Voice and Access to Information
- Communication (58/16)
- Collaboration (58/14)
- Full-Time Faculty
Action Planning & Timeline
The following steps outline the action planning process:
- E-team Retreat (July 2024): During this retreat, the E-team reviewed overall institutional findings and institution-level strengths and opportunities identified by ModernThink.
- Initial Consultation with Constituent Groups (August 2024): The overall institutional findings and the institution-level strengths and opportunities identified by ModernThink were shared with CAMAT, FAMAT and the MAC Team to gather feedback and suggestions for the draft version of the action plan.
- Week of Fall Kick-Off (September 2024): Survey reports will be made available to all employees via the Rogue Report and HR SharePoint. Institution-level strengths and opportunities identified by ModernThink were included in President Weber’s Fall Kick-Off Address.
- Listening Sessions (October 2024): Listening sessions open to all employees will be held in October to dig deeper into the survey results, share the draft institutional action plan and gather additional feedback and ideas.
The action plan and regular updates regarding progress will be shared with all employees via the Rogue Report.
Reflection and Future Directions
Key themes from the GCTWF survey and employee feedback during the listening sessions will provide the College with solid insights into strengths and opportunities.
As to strengths, it is clear that employees take pride in their work and in RCC; department-level supervision and leadership are strong; and employees recognize the College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Areas needing attention include communication, performance management, confidence in senior leadership and professional development. The structured action planning process aims to address these challenges through collaborative feedback and transparent strategy implementation, ensuring the institution takes meaningful steps toward enhancing the employee experience.
All told, this information provides the entirety of the College—faculty, staff and leadership alike—with information that can inform how to best expend institutional energy in the immediate years.
It is important to stress that responsibility for responding to the GCTWF survey cannot rest solely with institutional leadership. While RCC’s Executive Team is responsible for leading efforts, it will take a collective effort from all employees to make lasting, positive change. As such, we encourage all employees to actively participate and suggest strategies to help improve in needed areas so that together, we can become an even greater College.