Workplace Experiences Survey

Understanding the unique cultures within UBC's diverse units using targeted insights from the Workplace Experiences Survey supports workplace wellbeing consultations. 

The goal of the Central HR’s Health, Wellbeing & Benefits (HWB) team is to create a workplace culture that helps individuals and teams reach their full potential, both professionally and personally. To achieve this, understanding the unique cultures within UBC's diverse faculties, departments, and units using targeted insights from individual teams is essential. This is why the Workplace Experiences Survey (WES) has been so important for the HWB team’s work across both campuses. 

"We focus on fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes psychological health and safety," says Crystal Hutchinson, Workplace Wellbeing Senior Lead at the Vancouver campus. "When we get a request to partner with a department, unit or faculty, the granular data we get from WES helps us guide teams more effectively." 

Amanda Swoboda, Wellbeing Specialist, Workplace Health and Wellbeing, UBCO, adds, "When I consult with leaders and teams, reviewing WES data is always a worthwhile first step. It gives us a clear picture of the team’s current state so we can build on strengths and address challenges."  

When the WES results are available in the early new year, leaders across UBC are invited to speak with our Workplace Wellbeing consultants. “With current insights about your team’s culture from WES, we have the foundations to work towards enhancing psychological health and safety within work environments, here at UBC,” Crystal explains.  

Drawing on insights from the last Workplace Experiences Survey, the UBCO AVP Students portfolio initiated efforts to improve job clarity and support wellbeing among staff. 

The aim was to enhance role clarity for individual team members and provide a clearer understanding of overall team scope, creating a more engaged work environment. 

To address the need for clearer roles, a working group was established to: 

• Review job descriptions to ensure they accurately conveyed expectations and outlined what each individual’s role entailed.  
• Clearly define scope of work for each team member to allow everyone to understand how their contributions fit into the team’s objectives. 
• Implement regular performance review conversations for 100% of staff, ensuring that everyone feels heard and supported in their roles. 

The AVP Students portfolio also took steps to support clarity and enhance communication across the campus and departments by including highlights in regular AVPS/VPS newsletters, hosting monthly Q&A's across the portfolio, and an annual staff gathering to celebrate successes and share upcoming priorities. 

Through these initiatives, AVP Students aims to empower teams to perform at their best, feel a sense of belonging and engagement, and contribute meaningfully to our mission. 

The Indigenous Learning Pathways program (ILP) was developed as a collaborative project between UBC Human Resources and Indigenous Initiatives at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology following the introduction of UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan in 2020. 

Insights from the 2021 Workplace Experiences Survey highlighted an opportunity for senior leaders to be more involved in the learning process along with their teams. The ILP was developed with this in mind. Alongside their teams, senior leaders participated in Indigenous-focused learning activities which helped shape course topics. Their key reflections were featured as learning content in the courses to inspire other leaders, faculty and staff to engage in this learning journey together towards meaningful reconciliation.  

Following the launch of the program, feedback from faculty, staff, leaders and administration has been overwhelmingly positive, with appreciation focused on the collaborative and community-oriented approach taken in its development process. The program is a great connection point for engaging leadership, faculty and staff in collaborative learning, and in creating a safer place on our campuses and classroom spaces, regardless of what our roles are at the university.