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GENERAL SUMMARY <br /> Introduction <br /> In June 2005, the City of Eugene surveyed staff to gain their perspective on a variety of <br /> workplace issues. The goal of the survey was to develop a deeper understanding of the <br /> experiences of City employees, to look for opportunities to be more effective, and to facilitate <br /> communication between staff and management. The survey was designed to form the basis of a <br /> series of conversations among staff and managers about how to more effectively approach the <br /> City's work. <br /> Background <br /> The City of Eugene fielded employee surveys in 1999, 2000 and 2002. The 2002 survey <br /> represented a major revision in content, format and level of analysis, and reflected a new set of <br /> objectives developed by the Executive Management Team. Rather than focusing on evaluative <br /> conclusions, the survey's intent was to inspire conversation among staff and managers and to <br /> inform improvement efforts. The 2005 survey is largely similar, with the inclusion of a few more <br /> City -wide questions, and more substantial changes to the department - specific questions. <br /> Methodology <br /> Survey Instrument <br /> The current instrument is based on a set of objectives developed by the Executive Management <br /> Team in May 2002, with input from the Division Managers Policy Group. Those objectives are: <br /> 1) Measure employees' satisfaction with key elements of their employment with the City, <br /> including: <br /> • Work environment <br /> • Relationships with management and colleagues <br /> • Supervision issues <br /> • Ability and resources to provide good service to customers <br /> • Flow of information <br /> • Employment stability <br /> • Opportunities for growth and advancement <br /> • Workload <br /> • Recognition <br /> • Indicators associated with satisfaction, effectiveness and retention <br /> 2) Include recurring benchmark questions to be tracked over time and used in service profiles <br /> and the budget <br /> 3) Include customized, department- specific questions <br /> The survey instrument used a five -point Likert-like scale ranging from "Strongly Disagree" to <br /> "Strongly Agree" with a "Neutral" midpoint. A "Don't Know" option was also included in most <br /> questions to maintain the purity of the neutral response, drawing a clear distinction between <br /> "Don't Care" and "Don't Know." <br /> The instrument was pre- tested with employees at varying levels and in diverse roles across the <br /> City organization. Input from those employees led to further changes in the instrument, as did <br /> observations of survey questions that seemed to slow down or puzzle pre -test respondents. <br /> 3 <br />