We value your voice: 2020 Values in Practice employee engagement survey
June 26, 2020
More than 10,000 UTSW employees have taken the VIP survey!
Have you? Here are the latest participation leaders:
Download response rate reports for: Clinical Departments (64% overall), Centers (65% overall), Basic Science Departments (49% overall), and all other departments (70% overall).
June 24, 2020
It's the last week to take the 2020 Values in Practice baseline survey! Here are the departments sharing their voices the most
Here are the latest participation leaders:
Download response rate reports for: Clinical Departments (61% overall), Centers (62% overall), Basic Science Departments (46% overall), and all other departments (66% overall).
June 22, 2020
VIP Manager Spotlight: Christie Nichols
Christie Nichols supervises a group of 23 nurses, medical assistants, and administrative staff at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth. When asked about what makes her highly engaged team so strong, she quickly responded with a smile the size of Texas and said: “Together they care, they communicate, and we like to celebrate.”
On patient care
Important to Ms. Nichols’ leadership – and what she is most proud to see in her colleagues – is integrity, accountability, and authentic servant qualities. Her leadership mantra is to “put patients and the team first; then everything else will fall into place.” On her staff, there is “not a ‘my patient’ mentality; there is a symphony of ‘our patients.’” So it’s not surprising that group has won numerous Customer Service Merit Awards based on Press Ganey scores, nor how quickly they flexed in response to the demanding needs of COVID-19 (which included extra work, schedule changes, and telehealth development).
On communication
Ms. Nichols coaches her crew that the work environment is everyone’s responsibility and that “all team members take an active role in creating an environment they are proud to work in.” This starts with constant communication, and when it comes to speaking up, she facilitates dialogue where “everyone has the floor.” Being sensitive to an individual’s comfort in group meetings versus one-on-ones, she encourages ongoing feedback and emphasizes conversations: “We can’t make changes unless we talk about them first.”
On celebration
The team is always looking for ways to express themselves, have fun, and celebrate. Whether a national holiday, Nurses Week, or Housekeeping Week, everyone in both labs and clinics chips in and participates in the recognition and camaraderie. Patients, too, seem to especially enjoy the emotional lift of Spirit Week, where each day employees don wacky apparel for amusement and to break up the routine.
Ms. Nichols says she is also mindful as a leader of demonstrating gratitude. She is so thankful of each and every one of her team members at SCCC Moncrief and commits to cultivate meaningful health care experiences, and in return, she has been rewarded with a staff that exceeds her expectations.
June 19, 2020
Join the 59% of employees who have taken the Values in Practice survey!
Download response rate reports for: Clinical Departments (55% overall), Centers (58% overall), Basic Science Departments (43% overall), and all other departments (61% overall).
June 17, 2020
Half of employees have shared their voice!
Download response rate reports for: Clinical Departments (47% overall), Centers (51% overall), Basic Science Departments (37% overall), and all other departments (52% overall).
June 15, 2020
After our first week, here's where departments stand in participation
Download response rate reports for: Clinical Departments (41% overall), Centers (44% overall), Basic Science Departments (33% overall), and all other departments (44% overall).
June 11, 2020
VIP Manager Spotlight: Joshua Ruiz
Results from previous Values in Practice surveys showed that the Therapy Services team, led by Joshua Ruiz, scored highly for the statement “I am satisfied with my team” and saw an overall increase trend for all engagement drivers. We spoke with Mr. Ruiz to learn what he does to make this multispecialized team of 60 therapists based in Dallas, Frisco, and Fort Worth so engaged.
First, Mr. Ruiz said, he hires talent who foster a learning culture. “The team members visibly push each other to question the status quo, explore new client services, and regularly share industry articles. There is pride in knowing that ongoing learning and knowledge management perpetuates a health care innovative mindset that says, ‘I want to be a part of this group.’” Evident, too, is the ongoing pursuit of individual certification credentials, he said.
His second practice is to “really listen” and “ask for and act on employee input,” Mr. Ruiz continued. Based on the team’s feedback of needing more opportunity to communicate back to management, he and his assistant managers intentionally offered more open communication channels through one-on-one meetings, pods, small groups, and rounding as well as expanded their use of Microsoft Sharepoint and OneDrive. This change made it easier for supervisors to be present and “explain the why of workings,” and in return, with their new understanding, team members felt safe to speak up and collaborate.
Finally, Mr. Ruiz said, “there is no ‘I’ in team.” The team’s response to COVID-19 and the department’s change management demands speak volumes on the group’s respect and commitment to each other. Going from 200 daily clients to only five, the team:
- Proactively flushed schedules
- Joined the COVID-19 Recovery Plan
- Developed a UTSW online ergonomic course (“Optimizing Your Workspace and Body Mechanics in Any Environment” is available to all UTSW employees via Taleo) and
- Created a heartfelt video expressing gratitude for their Inpatient Rehab colleagues
Mr. Ruiz said he is happiest seeing the team succeed and knowing that collectively all members contribute to something significant at UTSW. Congratulations to this high-performing team on their engagement scores and for exemplifying UTSW’s core values.
June 10, 2020
After just two days of the 2020 Values in Practice survey, more than half of this department has participated!
Our first response rates are in! Overall, more than a quarter of nonfaculty employees have participated in the survey, and several departments are showing outstanding numbers. Health System Affairs Administration has had 54% of their employees take the survey so far! Here are some more leaders:
If you haven't taken the survey yet, there's still plenty of time. Save the email invitation from Glint, and when you can, take 5-7 minutes to make your voice heard. You can take the survey anywhere you're able to access your UT Southwestern email – even on your phone over your lunch break.
Download response rate reports for: Clinical Departments (21% overall), Centers (26% overall), Basic Science Departments (17% overall), and all other departments (23% overall).
June 3, 2020
A message from Janelle Browne, Vice President of Human Resources
To all UT Southwestern employees:
I want to encourage you to participate in our second annual Values in Practice (VIP) employee engagement baseline survey, which launches Monday, June 8, and will remain open through Sunday, June 28. The purpose of the survey is to solicit your feedback on how we are doing as an institution – and in your specific job area – in living up to our core values of excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. This year’s survey includes additional questions on our institutional pandemic response, particularly the support for your safety and wellness.
Nonfaculty employees will receive the survey link by email from an external survey company, Glint, on Monday, June 8. The survey is confidential and UT Southwestern receives only aggregate responses. Please answer the questions honestly based on your personal experience. The survey should only take 5-7 minutes to complete and can be accessed via computers and mobile devices.
Your participation will help advance UT Southwestern’s mission by identifying areas for improvement so that action plans can be developed to support the needs of our campus community.
For more information about the VIP survey initiative, please visit utsouthwestern.edu/vipsurvey or contact the Organizational Development and Training (ODT) team at employeeengagement@utsouthwestern.edu.
During this extraordinary time at UT Southwestern, keeping the lines of communication open and working collaboratively have never been more important to our mission. We are committed to ensuring that staff in all areas of the institution feel valued, heard, and supported as our lifesaving work marches forward.
Janelle Browne
Vice President, Human Resources
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Original post: June 1, 2020
We value your voice
The second annual Values in Practice (VIP) employee engagement baseline survey launches Monday, June 8. The purpose of the survey is to solicit your feedback on how we are doing as an institution – and in your specific job area – in living up to our core values of excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. This year’s survey includes additional questions on our institutional pandemic response, particularly the support for your safety and wellness.
An external survey company, Glint, will again administer this survey so we can ensure confidentiality. The survey will allow us to identify areas where we are doing especially well – and areas we need to prioritize for improvement – and we are committed to developing action plans to address the needs and challenges identified by our campus community.
On June 8, Glint will email all regular, nonfaculty employees on behalf of UT Southwestern. (The subject line will say UT Southwestern wants your feedback – June Engagement Survey – Due 6/28.) Simply click the Get Started button in the email to begin your survey.
Important survey features:
- Responses are confidential (while UTSW has visibility to overall response rates, there is absolutely no individual information regarding who has responded and who has not).
- Take 5-7 minutes to complete.
- Questions mapped to the UTSW core values.
- Can be accessed via computer or mobile phone.
- Benchmarked to other academic medical centers.
Please complete the survey! Your voice is essential to continuing to make UTSW a great place to work and build a career.
If you have any questions, please EmployeeEngagement@UTSouthwestern.edu the survey team.
Taking action based on your feedback
Within only days of the survey closing on June 28, Glint will supply roll-up reports by work group available in the Glint dashboard for managers. To maintain confidentiality, reports will only be provided for groups with more than five responses. If your group has fewer than five people or there are not at least five respondents, the group’s data will roll up into the next level manager of the organization.
Platform enhancements:
- Timely feedback with a real-time dashboard
- Enhanced reporting with ability to create and track action plans with curated recommendations and coaching resources
- Integration of actionable goals into the performance management process
- Consistent quarterly pulse surveys to ensure we're making meaningful progress
We will update this page periodically with overall survey response rates, along with information for managers, including dashboard training schedule, action planning guide, resources for small teams, and much more – all to successfully empower leaders to drive increased engagement in their unique areas.