<div style="margin-top: 20px;"><img src="http://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/citylogo-default.jpg" alt="City of Columbia Logo" width="106" height="116" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px; margin-left: 0px;">
<img src="http://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/spaceholder.png" alt="spaceholder image" width="106" height="116" style="float: right; margin-right: 0px; margin-left:20px;">
<div style="padding-top:40px;
text-align:center;">
<p style="font-weight:bold; display: inline; line-height:150%; font-size: 105%;">CITY OF COLUMBIA, MISSOURI<br />P.O. BOX 6015 COLUMBIA, MO 65205</p></div>
</div>
<div style="clear:both; text-align:center; padding-top: 20px;">
<h2 style="font-size: 180%;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</h2>
<p style="font-size: 120%; margin-top: -5px; font-weight:bold;">February 22, 2019</p>
<p style="float:right; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom: 35px; font-size: 120%; text-align:right;">CONTACT: Margrace Buckler
<br />Human Resources Director
<br />City of Columbia
<br />573.874.7677
<br />Margrace.Buckler@CoMo.gov</p>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 110%; line-height:145%;"><h3 style="clear:both; margin-top: 75px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 170%;">City of Columbia receives Employee Engagement Survey results</h3>
<div class="content"><span style="padding-left: 50px;">(COLUMBIA, MO)</span> - <p style="display:inline;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">On June 20, 2018 the City of Columbia awarded CPS HR Consulting the bid to conduct an "Employee Engagement Survey" to provide information to leadership as to what issues employees felt were most important to them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CPS HR Consulting administered the survey to all permanent city employees between Nov. 28 and Dec. 21, 2018. Sixty-two percent of employees responded to the survey. The survey included 67 questions in 10 categories, 13 demographic questions, one question asking if the employee plans to stay or leave City employment within the next year.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an email announcing the survey results to employees, Interim City Manager John Glascock told staff members, "We heard loud and clear that you want to feel valued and appreciated for the work you do. We heard you say leadership in managing change as well as training and development are two of the most important issues for the majority of those who participated in the survey."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Survey highlights included:</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Overall, 27 percent of the respondents are "fully engaged," with 50 percent "somewhat engaged," and 23 percent "not engaged." The percentage of fully engaged employees is below national benchmarks, including government (30 percent), local government (31 percent), and the private sector (44 percent). The "somewhat-engaged" (50 percent) is above benchmark data. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Among the workplace factors included in the survey, "Leadership and Management Change - Department Leaders" and "Training and Development" have the highest relative importance and lowest scores. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Among the six organizational cultural questions included in the survey, the highest importance and lowest scoring was, "I feel valued for the work I do." </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In response to the question, "Are you considering leaving your current position within the next year?" 56 percent of the respondents reported they intend to stay, 24 percent intend to leave and 20 percent "preferred not to say."</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the survey, the City should focus on the following areas to improve engagement. These items are categorized as having low scores but with high influence and have the greatest potential to improve overall engagement:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leadership and Managing Change - Department Leaders: "I feel change is managed well within my department" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Training and Development: "I am given real opportunities for me to improve my skills in my organization" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Training and Development: "There are opportunities for me to develop my career in my organization" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Organizational Culture: "I feel valued for the work I do" </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Areas that the City should maintain include items that have high influence and already have a high score. The suggestion is to continue to focus on these areas to maintain engagement. The areas to maintain include:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leadership and Managing Change - Department Leaders: "I have a high level of respect for my department’s leaders" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leadership and Managing Change - Department Leaders: "I feel my department as a whole is managed well" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leadership and Managing Change - Department Leaders: "I believe the actions of my department's leaders are consistent with the City’s values" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mission: "I feel I can make a difference working for the City" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Training and Development: "I get the information I need to do my job" </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">My Work: "I have opportunities to provide input on decisions which affect my work"</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CPS HR recommends that the City:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Share and act on the survey results, broadly communicate across the City on the actions it plans to take, and periodically report on progress</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Closely review the survey results for specific demographic groups</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Review department-specific results to identify effective approaches that can be shared across departments</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Over the next 12-18 months, I expect leadership to use the information and tools in the report to improve our teams’ engagement levels. We have and will lean on our Operational Excellence Team, CPS HR Consulting, and other resources to improve," Glascock said. "We will evaluate our progress on a regular basis, and in 18 months we’ll survey staff again to see if we have moved the needle."</span></p>
<br />
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An electronic copy of the report is attached.</span></p></div>
<br />
<div class="content"></div>
<br />
<div class="attachments">
This release has the following attachments:
http://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/downloadfile.php?id=2139
</div>
</div>
<div id="footerline">
<div style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; text-align:center;"><p>City of Columbia Vision<br>
<em>Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.</em></p>
<p>City of Columbia Mission<br>
<em>To serve the public through democratic, transparent and efficient government.</em></p>
</div>
<p style="text-align:center;">-30-</p>
</div>
<style>
#pressrelease table, #pressrelease th, #pressrelease td{
border: 0px;
}
#pressrelease{ margin:40px; margin-top: 0px !important;}
.attachments{margin-top: -10px;}
@media print {
#pressrelease{font-size: 75%; margin:10px !important; margin-top: -40px !important;}
#pressrelease div{line-height: 125%;}
#copyright{text-align:center; margin-top: -30px;}
}
</style><p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>You have received this message because you subscribe to the City of Columbia's Web Mail service. To view linked material click on provided links or copy and paste them into your browser's address menu.</p>
<p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>Archived press releases can be viewed online at:
http://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/directory.php</p>
<p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>If you would like to stop receiving messages, modify list options, or subscribe to other lists visit the Web Mail section of our Web site and follow the instructions provided at http://www.como.gov/Web_Mail/ </p><style>div{margin: 10px;}</style>