The survey is administered through an outside vendor (ModernThink).

Faculty and staff receive an email invitation directly from ModernThink. The survey takes on average about 10 minutes to complete. Faculty and staff can take the survey either on work time or off work time using a laptop or mobile device. (Note: If you decide to complete the survey outside your regular work schedule, then you will not be paid for that time.)

Participation is voluntary. Although no one should feel pressured to participate, this survey is a great chance for faculty and staff to be heard, so participation is strongly encouraged. It is important that the University hears from as many faculty and staff as we can in order to get the most complete feedback.

Some UNC institutions have done similar surveys in the past, but this is the first survey that was conducted system-wide. It will provide a common dataset for the entire UNC System.

Open-Ended Questions: There are two open-ended questions for write-in responses.

Demographics Questions: These are for reporting purposes, such as race, gender, years of service, salary range, organizational unit, etc.

Reporting will be available only if there are at least five responses in a defined demographic group. For example, for a report specifically on Black female faculty, we would receive the report only if at least five respondents completed the survey that fit that full demographic profile (i.e., Black, female, and faculty).

Note: The narrative comments submitted for the two open-ended questions will be shared with institutional leadership. Faculty and staff may wish to consider how they phrase their responses so that their remarks are not too identifiable.

ModernThink provides a helpline (888.684.4658) for participants to call if they have questions about confidentiality, and faculty and staff can review a confidentiality statement.

• System-wide topline data were shared with the UNC Board of Governors and posted publicly on the UNC System website.
• Data points were used as a comparator for human resource metrics such as turnover data to see if trends could be determined.
• The results support efforts to pursue key longer-term policy and program changes, including the introduction of paid parental leave and enhancements to University benefits programs where possible.

In most cases, any progress that comes from this program will be incremental and not occur all at once, or may not be visible to all employees as it happens. This means it may take time to address certain issues or take time for faculty and staff to see the positive effects of any actions taken.

Some faculty and staff concerns (e.g., better salaries/raises, better benefits, etc.) may be outside the control of your direct supervisor or the University.

Some suggestions from faculty and staff for certain changes may be cost prohibitive or may require legislative action by the NC General Assembly.

However, having data that identify these concerns and suggestions puts the University in a better position to prioritize ways to address them and to bring these issues to those who have the authority to make any necessary changes.