TRANSPORTATION MATTERS for IOWA

What levels or areas of the DOT should we be thinking about as we take the survey?

After the first survey, many asked what level of the DOT they should be thinking about as they answer questions. The purpose of the survey is to determine what things are impacting you and your team’s ability to get your work done. Therefore, the answer to that question may differ between each question. As you embark on taking the survey for the second time, keep in mind that the purpose of the information collected is to help your team create work plans to improve your work. Do your best to provide answers that will help with this process.

Will the questions on the second survey change?

Yes and no. Employees will once again be asked the same questions they were asked during the first survey. These questions cover areas such as basic needs, the individual, teamwork, and growth and are the basis of our ongoing work related to the #Engage program.

Following the first round of surveys, summary reports were shared with managers, supervisors, and some team leads. The reports provided data on their team’s responses as a whole (no individual responses were shared). Those receiving the reports were encouraged to work with an engagement champion to review data and hold State of the Team conversations with their team members. The purpose of each State of the Team was to review the results of the engagement survey, create a plan for tackling a work-related issue, and use the plan to monitor progress.

As we enter into the second survey three additional questions will be asked of all employees – something Gallup calls its accountability index. Gallup’s accountability index asks about actions that have occurred since the last survey to encourage teams to continue to work through the engagement process.

The index consists of three questions:

• I received feedback on the previous Employee Engagement Survey conducted at my workplace.
• My team participated in an effective action planning session following last year's Employee Engagement Survey.
• My team has made progress on the goals set during our action planning sessions after the last Employee Engagement Survey.

By continuing to monitor data on the same set of questions and ask questions that help hold us accountable for using the data to improve our work, we can continue to create plans to improve and see how our actions are making a difference over time.

How should I expect my team’s scores to change?

As we look to the second round of survey results, it’s natural to expect those results to improve. However, it’s important to remember several things can impact if, and to what degree and direction, the needle may move. m

• Has the makeup of your team been steady? How many team members have been added? Were they brought up to speed?
• How much impact did dealing with operational issues connected to winter and flooding take time away from scheduled engagement work?
• Has the focus of those taking the survey changed? To what degree did team members take the first survey thinking about something other than what is impacting the team’s ability to get work done?

Just as with the first time looking at the results, the key will be talking about the results and letting those conversations guide efforts to identify things to work on.

Changing employee culture generally occurs gradually over time, and not with one or two minor changes. It takes an ongoing commitment to continue working on ourselves. By continuing to take the surveys on a regular basis and making a team commitment to review the data and work on plans to improve, over time we’ll see a change in our culture. Your responses to the three additional questions asked in the second survey will be a great help in understanding areas that need more support moving forward.