Case Studies

Case Study No. 1: Using Real Data and Employees' Engagement to
Facilitate Change

"Winning Workplaces' contributions have really had an impact on this organization," says the Human Resource Manager. "Feedback from staff and management has been very positive not only because the survey was highly effective but also because employees were involved in the process. We now have comprehensive and actionable data that will allow us to create plans to resolve key workplace issues."

The Issue
A major Chicago-area educational institution retained Winning Workplaces in 2004 to assist with an employee survey for its 50 administrative staff. The institution had been conducting employee surveys for several years but senior management felt it was time to update the instrument to ensure it was capturing key workplace issues. In addition, management noted that while scores on the survey rated employee satisfaction high, informal conversations with staff suggested that there were pockets of morale
problems. Management was particularly concerned as the institution was preparing to go through substantial organizational change, relocating their entire facility and transforming their office-based environment to cubicles. The President and senior management wanted to ensure that they were getting the clearest and most accurate picture of their employees' perceptions and attitudes.

The Response
Winning Workplaces' staff conducted a series of employee focus groups to gather their input on what they perceived to be the most pressing challenges at work. WW customized the institution's survey incorporating key questions related to the issues considered critical to employees' performance. The survey was implemented with a 100% response rate – a first in the institution's history. A top issue had to do with a high stress level felt among staff. Management knew this could lead to employee burnout, impaired relationships at home and work, loss of productivity and an increase in turnover. In conjunction with Human Resources, WW staff developed a process for a follow-up action plan. A cross-functional internal taskforce was established to further assess and prioritize the key issues raised in the survey and craft a set of recommendations for management's consideration.

Impact
Several efforts were launched based on the internal taskforce recommendations:

A new sound masking system for the office was put in to decrease the noise among the cubicles and to increase productivity.

Standards for behavior for the new cubicle environment were developed by staff, disseminated and reinforced to ease the transition.

Project management training, tools and techniques were introduced as a core competency in order to help employees better manage their workload.

In 2005, the same employee survey was implemented with substantially improved scores. Several employees praised the work of the taskforce and nearly 80% of all employees stated that they felt senior management took their feedback seriously and had made positive changes to improve the general work environment.

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