To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Resources Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Janell Crane, 707-565-2885; Christine Williams, 707-565-2549
Vote Requirement: Informational Only
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Employee Engagement Survey Report
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Receive a presentation from Human Resources on the first County-wide employee engagement survey.
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Executive Summary:
As part of the Board of Supervisor’s Five-Year Strategic Plan (2021-2026), under the “Organizational Excellence” Pillar the Board directed the Human Resources Department to conduct an employee engagement survey and based on the resulting data develop and implement strategies to incorporate outcomes into future planning. HR contracted with the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement, a division of CPS HR Consulting, to develop and conduct the survey and to support additional data gathering and analysis. The Sonoma County Office of Equity was consulted during the survey development and will be integral in supporting data disaggregation reviews and subsequent planning efforts to ensure alignment with the County’s Racial Equity Action Plan adopted by the Board in May 2024.
Discussion:
The survey was conducted by the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement, a division of CPS HR Consulting, an independent government agency. CPS HR administered the survey from November 4th through November 25th, 2024. The survey included multiple question formats: Questions utilizing a 1-5 answer scale (“strongly disagree” to “strongly agree;” “don’t know or no basis to judge”), work experience questions (yes/no), “About You” questions, and open-ended/free response questions. Employees were asked about tenure with the County, level of the organization, race and ethnicity, gender identity, adverse work experiences and whether they plan to stay or leave their current position within the next twelve months.
Department, division, and employment type were tracked for accurate reports. However, to ensure employee confidentiality, reports contain aggregated data only.
56% (2,318) of employees responded to the survey. Prior to the survey launch, CPS HR indicated that the first iteration of an organizational survey typically received a 30-50% response rate. This higher-than-average response rate indicates employees are committed to providing County leadership with candid, meaningful feedback and that expectations for action are high.
Today’s presentation (attached) will provide an overview of the quantitative employee data received, some initial results and recommended areas of focus, and a review of planned future activities to prepare for taking action to enhance employee engagement across the organization. Based on the high response rate, and the breadth of information collected, it will take several months to fully analyze the data and develop a Survey Response Plan to enhance employee engagement, including qualitative feedback from employee focus groups. The attached presentation will outline all the phases of the project, and immediate next steps.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Organizational Excellence
Goal: Goal 3: Become an employer of choice with a diverse workforce that reflects our community, and an employer with a positive work culture that builds engaged and developed employees.
Objective: Objective 2: Conduct an employee engagement survey by mid-2022, and based on survey data, develop and implement strategies to incorporate survey outcomes into future operational planning.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
March 2, 2021 (item 35; file number 2021-0103) - Board adopted five-year strategic plan (2021-2026)
Fiscal Summary
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
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Attachments:
1. CPS HR Employee Engagement Survey Summary Report
2. Presentation
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A