The West Bend School District (WBSD) recently released results of its first Employee Engagement and Satisfaction survey, conducted district-wide in the spring of 2016, by a third-party partner, The Management Association (MRA).  According to the results, the overall satisfaction for WBSD employees was well within the MRA expected norm; engagement was slightly lower.

Erik Olson, Superintendent of Schools, will work with principals and district-level leaders to share the survey results with all WBSD employees and ask for their input into shaping the strategies toward continuous improvement.

“Our employees value a collaborative environment that encourages feedback,” said Olson. “I look forward to working with our employees as they use these results to identify solutions for improvement. The more we work together, the better our schools are going to be.”  

Satisfaction and engagement are two important, yet distinct measurements that provide valuable and actionable insights into a workforce.   According to Gallup, an industry leader in satisfaction and engagement,  “Overall satisfaction relates to other outcomes such as retention, productivity, profitability, and, to varying degrees, customer engagement.”  Satisfaction is, however, hard to act on, and some facets of satisfaction are irrelevant to performance.

Engagement, on the other hand, predicts satisfaction, as well as many other concrete business outcomes. According to Gallup, “Engaged employees are those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace. It is the degree to which an employee is: involved in and enthusiastic about his or her work; committed to the values of the organization; and, how they go beyond the basic responsibilities to drive the organization forward.”

Many studies have linked employee engagement to workforce performance, customer satisfaction, productivity, absenteeism, turnover, and support of the organization—all of which can significantly impact the bottom line.  In the world of education, Gallup has conducted extensive research linking employee engagement to student engagement, and in turn, student achievement.  

According to Gallup research, “Teacher engagement and student engagement are intimately connected. In turn, a school’s student engagement level directly affects student achievement. A strategy that considers the people in our schools offers hope for higher student achievement levels and for making our students and the U.S. more globally competitive. And it all starts with the principal.”  (Gallup School Leadership Linked to Engagement and Student Engagement, July 2013 )

Although many organizations and even higher education institutions measure employee engagement and satisfaction, it has not been prevalent among regional school districts until most recently.  For the WBSD, the MRA survey will provide a benchmark for improvement and comparison data for the next engagement and satisfaction survey in Fall of 2017.

The MRA survey for WBSD included nine categories:  

• Supervisory management and effectiveness

• Organizational practices

• Work life satisfaction

• Operational effectiveness

• Employee commitment

• Employee development and recognition

• Communication

• Pay and benefits.

The 67-question survey received an overall response rate of 84 percent and measured both engagement and satisfaction.

The first measure returned was the overall satisfaction of WBSD employees.  WBSD scored within the expected norm in eight of the nine categories, with one category out of norm, communication.  The WBSD overall satisfaction was 70 percent compared to a norm of 79 percent.  

“This is a positive outcome for the WBSD, as MRA expects partners to be within 10 percent of the norm,” said Valley Elliehausen, Chief Operations Officer.  Communication will be evaluated further through a district-wide communication audit, facilitated in January through the National School Public Relations Association.

Employee engagement was the next measure provided by MRA.  According to Gallup and MRA research, employee engagement in the United States hovers around 30 percent and active disengagement around 17 percent  The MRA survey placed WBSD employees into three categories:

• Engaged - Employees work with a passion and feel a profound connection to their company.  They drive innovation and move the organization forward.  They give 100 percent of their discretionary effort to work.

• Partially Engaged – Employees are “on the fence” in terms of engagement; sometimes engaged, sometimes not.

• Disengaged - Employees are more than just unhappy.  They’re acting on their unhappiness and undermining the work of others.

The District scored below the national average of 32 percent for engagement, but better than the national average for disengagement of 17 percent.

“The majority of District employees are in the partially engaged category, and our work ahead will focus on moving  these individuals to full engagement in order to achieve our mission and the best possible outcomes for our students,” Elliehausen said.

Olson emphasized, “This targeted work starts with our leaders.  The West Bend School District believes that every employee is a leader and should be committed to its mission and values.  Engagement must be supported and driven by our principals and district leaders, and research continues to support and strengthen that engagement is a two-way street with employees being involved in the process.”  

“Engagement may be simple in concept but is difficult in execution, and as a result, it is never achieved or finished, only improved.” Olson said.  “The District will continue to monitor employee engagement by conducting surveys, collaborate  with staff, develop action plans designed for improved engagement, and monitor progress.”