Employee-engagement survey delivers welcome news

An employee-engagement survey conducted last fall at Fred Hutch Cancer Center was noteworthy for its favorable overall scores about employee experience. The survey was noteworthy also for what it didn’t find in regard to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues: There was no statistically significant difference in employee-engagement responses across demographic categories, such as race and gender, in this first-ever organization-wide survey.  

Not only were employees overall likely to feel engaged in Fred Hutch’s mission, according to the survey results, but they were equally as likely to feel engaged regardless of their background. The results also reflected confidence among employees that their background was not an obstacle to their success at Fred Hutch but rather was valued.  

The survey, done in October and November of 2023, included all Fred Hutch employees. It was only a “pulse check” at a specific point in time, and individuals’ responses did vary. However, the results were a welcome sign that the organization is largely achieving the climate it seeks to foster, according to Paul Tapia, senior director of organizational development and learning in the Human Resources Department.  

“Employee engagement is about the degree to which people want to go above and beyond in their work — whether they feel, ‘I’m aligned with the mission of Fred Hutch, and I want to help move this mission forward,’” said Tapia. Greater engagement across all employees, he said, means a greater opportunity for collective success. 

“The important connection between engagement and DEI at Fred Hutch is that DEI is a capacitator of our mission,” said Dr. Paul Buckley, vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Fred Hutch. “We know that diversity propels innovation and inclusive excellence outperforms the status quo in all areas of our work.  This makes our DEI efforts critical to finding cures that bring healing to every community.”

Demographic data allows comparison among subsets of employees 

The survey, conducted by Press Ganey, consisted of 29 statements. Respondents rated each on a scale of 1 to 5, depending on how accurately the statements described their experience. All statements related to one of three domains: leadership, such as whether leaders communicate with employees; teams, such as whether an employee believes their teammates work well together; and organization, such as whether the employee feels supported by Fred Hutch.  

More than 4,000 individuals responded to the survey, representing 76% of the employee population.  

Responses were anonymized; there was no way to link an individual to their survey answers. However, a respondent’s answers could be tied to certain demographic data, which Press Ganey kept confidential from Fred Hutch. Press Ganey was able to separate out the results for certain subsets of employees, such as those who identified as a particular race, and compare their answers to others’. This analysis showed no notable differences in employees’ level of engagement according to their survey responses. 

Asking about employees’ experiences matters 

A handful of the 29 statements in the survey gave employees a chance to rate their experience as it might pertain to DEI specifically. These items asked about topics like whether they feel valued, are treated equally, and have equal opportunity for promotion regardless of their background. “Background” could be understood broadly by the respondent to include characteristics such as education level or professional experience. 

Including this set of questions was important, said Tapia, because diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to the effective operation and long-term success of the organization. Here again, answers reflected positive experiences among employees overall, and similar experiences across subsets of employees. Yet, Fred Hutch has identified equal opportunities regardless of backgrounds as a key area to better understand employee perspectives and strengthen our efforts. 

Although the survey brought some welcome results about employee engagement, there is still work to do. The survey does, however, provide an important baseline from which Fred Hutch can continue to address engagement as it continues to diversify its workforce at all levels and promote equity, inclusion and anti-racism as integral elements of the culture. The human resources team plans to repeat the survey in the future to compare results and identify any new concerns or opportunities for change. 

Buckley said the employee engagement survey provided useful information about the organization's climate, even though it’s not an actual “climate survey.” These data are part of a broader set of measures used to understand Fred Hutch's inclusion efforts. “The survey also tells us that the employees across various social categories of difference have similar perspectives about the opportunities we have to make good on our commitment to further diversify the workforce and ensure there are equitable pathways to promotion”  Buckley said.  “I appreciate that my colleagues across the center clearly see what other data sources tell us too.”  Human Resources and the DEI Core departments are working with managers across Fred Hutch toward these goals.

“Our DEI strategy is built on and advanced around all kinds of data — quantitative and qualitative," said Buckley. "Every opportunity we take to collect data and respond with strategic and principled efforts makes us better and gets us closer to our mission. We are determined to do this because we know what’s at stake.”