Opportunity
Positively Advancing Our Workplace Survey (PAWS)
2025 Report
Positively Advancing Our Workplace Survey 2025 Report
In February of 2025, 51ĀŅĀ× partnered with ModernThink to implement a faculty and staff engagement survey designed to measure the health of the culture and quality of our workplace experience. Our PAWS survey follows ModernThinkās national survey model, which is implemented at hundreds of institutions nationwide and is the principal assessment tool in the annual Great Colleges to Work For program.
This yearās survey establishes a baseline and will help guide initiatives of the WORK Pillar in our Dynamic Strategy moving forward.
Survey Dimensions
The faculty and staff engagement survey measures sentiment across 10 dimensions:
Job Satisfaction & SupportProfessional DevelopmentFaculty/Staff Well-BeingPerformance ManagementSupervisor/Department Chair EffectivenessCommunicationCollaborationInclusion, Belonging & CommunityMission & PrideConfidence in Senior Leadership
Our OHIO Strengths
Across all dimensions, OHIOās highest five scores highlight five core strengths on which we can build moving forward.
Welcoming
āWe welcome people of all backgrounds.ā
Mission-Focused
āI understand how my job contributes to the OHIO mission.ā
Meaningful Work
āThe work I do is meaningful to me.ā
Empowered Employees
āI am given the responsibility and freedom to do my job.ā
Work-Life Balance
āMy supervisor supports my efforts to balance my work and personal life.ā
Our Opportunities for Improvement
Many of the areas where OHIO employees had less positive response align closely with the Carnegie R1 institution average. However, a few areas stood out as weaknesses when compared to our peers, creating opportunities for focused effort:
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Promotion and Recognition Opportunities
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Collaboration and Teamwork
Opportunity
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Trust in Leadership
Opportunity
Survey Dimensions
Explore below how OHIO performed in each of the survey dimensions. As defined by ModernThink, statements that received more than 65% positive response and a low negative response qualify as āgoodā or āexcellentā; statements with 55-64% positive response are labeled as fair or mixed responses; statements with a positive response under 54% are labeled as needing attention.
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Job Satisfaction & Support
OHIO demonstrated both areas of strength and opportunity in this category.
Good to Excellent
- My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
- I am given the responsibility and freedom to do my job.
- The work I do is meaningful to me.
- The institutionās benefits meet my needs.
Mixed Response
- I am provided the resources I need to be effective in my job.
- The facilities adequately meet my needs.
Needs Attention
- I am paid fair for my work.
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Professional Development
This appears to be an area where results were inconsistent across different units and employee types, presenting an opportunity to learn from best practices and create more consistency across the university.
Good to Excellent
- I am given the opportunity to develop my skills at this institution.
Mixed Response
- I understand the necessary requirements to advance my career.
Needs Attention
- Our onboarding processes prepare new faculty and staff to be effective.
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Faculty & Staff Well-Being
Well-being was a strength for OHIO with above-average scores across the board in this category.
Good to Excellent
- My supervisor/department chair shows genuine interest in my well-being.
- This institutionās policies and practices give me the flexibility to manage my work and personal life.
- This institution takes appropriate steps to protect the health and safety of faculty, staff and students.
- At work, I know where to go for help with my mental or emotional well-being.
- My supervisor/department chair supports my efforts to balance my work and personal life.
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Performance Management
In contrast to well-being, OHIO performed poorly as related to performance management. Since the implementation of this survey, the University has introduced a new performance management process for administrators and classified staff.
Needs Attention
- I am regularly recognized for my contributions.
- Promotions in my department are based on a personās performance.
- Our review process accurately measures my job performance.
- Issues of low performance are addressed in my department.
- Our recognition and awards programs are meaningful to me.
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Supervisor / Department Chair Effectiveness
Here we find another area of strength for OHIO, with all statements receiving a good to excellent rating based on the survey. Again, some units scored particularly highly in this area and may provide areas of excellence from which other units could learn.
Good to Excellent
- My supervisor/department chair makes their expectations clear.
- I receive feedback from my supervisor/department chair that helps me.
- I believe what I am told by my supervisor/department chair.
- My supervisor/department chair is consistent and fair.
- My supervisor/department chair actively solicits my suggestions and idea.
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Communication
Responses across the communication dimension were mixed with faculty responding more negatively than administrators or classified staff.
Good to Excellent
- In my department, we communicate openly about issues that impact each otherās work.
Mixed Response
- When I offer a new idea, I believe it will be fully considered.
- I can speak up or challenge a traditional way of doing something without feat of harming my career.
Needs Attention
- Changes that affect me are discussed prior to being implemented.
- At this institution, we discuss and debate issues respectfully to get better results.
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Collaboration
The PAWS survey indicated that collaboration is strong with departmental teams, but improvement is needed in collaboration across units and divisions.
Good to Excellent
- People in my department work well together.
Mixed Response
- We have opportunities to contribute to important decisions in my department.
Needs Attention
- I can count on people to cooperate across departments.
- There are sufficient opportunities to participate in institutional planning.
- Thereās a sense that weāre all on the same team at this institution.
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Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
OHIO scored well in diversity and belonging among employees. Notably, we beat the ModernThink Honor Roll Benchmark in our willingness to welcome people of all backgrounds.
Good to Excellent
- In my department, we welcome people of all backgrounds.
- At this institution, we value people of all background.
- I feel a sense of belonging at this institution.
- This institution places emphasis on having faculty, administrators, and staff of all backgrounds.
Mixed Response
- This institution has clear and effective procedures for dealing with discrimination.
- We are making progress towards becoming an institution where everyone feels included.
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Mission & Pride
Adoption of mission and pride in the institution was a strength for OHIO.
Good to Excellent
- I understanding how my job contributes to this institutionās mission.
- Overall, my department is a good place to work.
- I am proud to be part of this institution.
- This institution actively contributes to the community.
- I would recommend working here to my family and/or friends.
- All things considered, this is a great place to work.
Mixed Response
- This institutionās culture is special ā something you donāt just find anywhere.
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Confidence in Senior Leadership
The survey indicates a need to improve confidence in senior leadership, with faculty indicating lower confidence than administrators or classified employees.
Mixed Response
- Senior leadership has the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for institutional success.
Needs Attention
- Senior leadership provides a clear direction for this institutionās future.
- Senior leadership shows genuine interest in the well-being of faculty, administrators and staff.
- Senior leadership communicates openly about important matters.
- I believe what I am told by senior leadership.
- This institution is well run.