Once again, the City will conduct its biennial employee survey. They want to know what YOU know: what’s happening that’s good and what’s not so good. In previous survey years, employees in ETS have had the absolute lowest response rate ( 40% in 2014 vs. 62% City-wide; the target for Transit for 2016 is 50%). They really need to know what’s going on over here.

With that in mind, Caroline Stuart, an HR Consultant with the School of Business, contacted us at the Union to talk about how that can be done. Here’s the low-down on what to expect:

You get a survey package from your Supervisor. In it will be an invitation to engage the survey and the survey itself and instructions on how to return it confidentially. The survey period is from Sept. 07 to 30. You’ll be able to complete the survey on line if you wish or just fill in the paper form you get from your Supervisor.

Here’s what your Union thinks about it: It’s confidential, concise and important. Think of it like a census. This is information that the City will use to address the problem areas that keep slipping through their fingers.

The City will use the data to plan activities around Employee Engagement, Culture, the Workplace, the Immediate Supervisor, Diversity, and Respect in the Workplace.

And here’s the important thing: no specific data will be returned from the contractor (Talentmap) to the city: survey results only. In fact, the survey company is prohibited from giving the City any information that reveals who specifically said what. 

The survey can be found on the City’s internal website (login using your City account) visit: onecity, and search: Employee Engagement and Diversity Survey or talk with your supervisor.

So, if you want our advice, here it is: This survey is an honest effort by the City to learn more about how this 12,000-strong workforce feels about their workplace. I personally have never heard of a single complaint about negative treatment as a result of completing the survey and I meet with the other Presidents of the Coalition of Civic Unions every 2 weeks. Believe me, if there were a problem anywhere, it would come up at that table.

You can fill out the survey in confidence without any worries about retribution or any unwanted attention coming your way. As your Union President, I’ve satisfied myself that this is the case.