The results of the 2008 Dartmouth College Staff Survey were released Monday, revealing that staff members at the College are generally satisfied with their positions, but would like to be more involved in the Dartmouth community.
Overall, employees were pleased with the nature of their work and job security, and were least satisfied with salaries and opportunities for advancement.
Just under half of employees said they have trust and confidence in senior leadership, though the majority said they will continue to work at the College for the next year. Half of employees surveyed said that the pace of change and decision-making was too slow.
Overall, the survey's findings were generally consistent with results from the last College Staff Survey, administered in 2006. 94 percent of employees would recommend Dartmouth as an employer, up one percent from 2006, and 87 percent are satisfied with their jobs in general, down two percent from 2006.
Staff members also reported that they usually work in a friendly environment that supports diverse groups of people. But only 45 percent of staff members said they experience camaraderie with coworkers.
Lack of community and human resources issues were high on the list of employee concerns, preceded only by compensation.
"People are too busy with work to socialize significantly," a College employee said. Staff members interviewed by The Dartmouth wished to remain anonymous when discussing their employer.
A number of staff members said they feel that they have a secondary role in the Dartmouth community.
"The students are good people, but a lot of them see us only as servants," another employee said. Students are often more occupied talking amongst themselves and overlook the staff, she added.
Due to the high expense of living in Hanover, the majority of College employees commute to the College, which could contribute to the lack of staff cohesion, according to some employees.
"There is a diverse geography of where people live," another anonymous College employee said. "Coworkers could live 50 miles apart."
Staff members also noted that they are generally removed from daily life at the College.
"I see a lot of students while I'm working, but that's it," one Dartmouth employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
The College works hard to provide salaries that are competitive and allow employees to live comfortably in the Upper Valley area, Dartmouth's human resources chief Traci Nordberg said.
Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centers are the two largest employers in the Upper Valley.
"I will never find a job in this area that pays as well and gives as good of benefits as Dartmouth," one College employee said. Despite the current economic turmoil, employees said they feel their jobs are safe at Dartmouth.
Recently, staff division leaders went on a retreat to look at the results of the 2008 survey and are already making plans to build off the successes of the past two years, according to Nordberg.
Another survey is planned for 2010, she said, and there is no reason to expect that the survey will fail to show continued improvement.
Since the last survey, the College's human resources staff has worked to rectify employee concerns and are pleased with their efforts, Nordberg, said.
The survey was given to non-faculty, non-student Dartmouth employees working in clerical, computing, administrative, and service positions.
Fifty-one percent of the college's 3,399 regular administrative and staff employees responded to the survey.
