Dalhousie introduces new Quality of Work Life survey

On Monday, April 20, faculty and staff at Dal will be invited to take part in a new survey about a wide range of aspects of work at Dal, from teaching and research to administration, and everything in between.

Called the Quality of Work Life Survey (replacing the previous biennial Workplace Survey), it will not only provide Dal’s leadership with workplace assessments but also offer faculty and staff immediate individual health profiles.

“We have chosen a new survey tool that better reflects our organizational needs and it gives leaders comprehensive data analysis including strengths, opportunities and recommendations for actions,” says Katherine Frank, assistant vice-president, Human Resources. “For the first time, it will provide employees that complete the survey with personalized profiles that assess their individual health and well-being.”

The survey will be emailed to all employees (faculty and staff, 50 per cent FTE or greater) on April 20 and will be open until May 4. This year, grant-paid employees and post-doctoral fellows will be invited to participate in the survey as well.

Howatt HR, a local strategic human resources firm, partnering with Morneau Shepell, the university’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider, will conduct the survey.

The survey will take 25-35 minutes to complete as there are additional questions specific to employees’ well-being that will be part of the individual health profiles. These profiles will not be accessible to the university or the survey provider — only the employee.

In addition, the entire survey will be anonymous, ensuring employees cannot be identified. This which is why it must be completed all at once and cannot be saved during completion; the survey will time-out after 60 minutes of inactivity and would have to be restarted.

“We want to hear how the university is doing, and work with faculty and staff on making Dalhousie one of the best employers in the country,” adds Katherine Frank. “We appreciate everyone taking the time to complete the survey. All feedback will be heard and discussed, with a commitment to find the best courses of action.”

The survey results will be available in late May/early June, and will be shared with the university community. The institutional summary report will be accessible on the HR website and faculties and large administrative departments will receive their results, as they did with previous workplace surveys.

If you have questions about the survey, please visit the survey FAQs (via myDal) or send questions to workplacesurvey@dal.ca or call 902-494-3888.