Staff Engagement

WHAT IS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT?

Employee engagement is a measurement of an employee’s emotional commitment to an organization; it takes into account the amount of discretionary effort an employee expends on behalf of the organization.

Engagement is about the culture that we want. It is the exceptional experience we want to provide to our students, patients, staff, faculty, colleagues and community. Active engagement gets us there.

When employee goals are aligned with the organization’s strategic goals, and when employees work towards a standard of job performance excellence, and employees are engaged, the organization is able to create an exceptional experience for clients, community and the employees themselves.

WHY DOES EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT MATTER?

Engaged employees are proven to be more productive, are absent less often, have fewer safety incidents and fewer patient safety incidents, among other benefits. Here are just some of the ways that engagement matters.

  • 41% Less absenteeism 41% less absenteeism
  • 70% fewer safety incidents 70% fewer safety incidents
  • 58% fewer patient 58% fewer patient safety incidents
  • 17% higher productivity 17% higher productivity
  • 10% higher customer metrics 10% higher customer metrics
  • Lower Levels Lower Levels of stress
  • Lower Levels Lower Levels of anxiety and depression
  • Lower Levels Lower Levels of bad cholesterol

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENGAGEMENT?

Engagement is the responsibility of every employee in an organization. Here is how responsibility for engagement breaks down, and some steps you can take to ensure engagement not only within yourself, but within your team(s).

Organization
  • Provide resources – human, technical and financial
  • Establish a culture of engagement
Leadership
  • Provide overall direction, vision and removal of barriers
  • Reinforce values and direction
Managers & Supervisors
  • Create an environment in which engagement can happen
  • Connect people to the organization and set them up for success
  • Participate in action planning
Teams
  • Create the team’s culture
  • Create and implement goals and plans to drive engagement
Individual
  • Maintain their own engagement
  • Participate in and help to implement the team’s engagement goals
  • Support the engagement of others and the team

HOW WE MEASURE ENGAGEMENT

UCI staff engagement is measured every other year through the Staff Engagement Survey, administered by our vendor, Gallup.

Click Here to Learn More About the 2023 Survey

Click Here to Log Into Gallup Access

SUPPORT

Support

Please contact any of the following engagement team experts for assistance with your engagement needs.

Dyan Hall, Engagement Lead, Campus
dyhall@uci.edu

Kelly Shedd, Engagement Lead, Health
kshedd@uci.edu

Janet Quan, Sr. Director, Engagement
janetq1@hs.uci.edu

The Importance of Our People

Goals for UCI’s staff are addressed in the Chancellor’s Strategic Plan in Pillar 4 – New Paths for our Brilliant Future. Pillar 4 can be summarized as the four categories shown below, with category two specifically speaking to staff engagement. Chancellor Gillman has given staff a seat at the proverbial table, elevating the importance of staff at UCI for the first time ever. Please read on to learn how the Empowered to Make a Difference engagement campaign is improving the workplace for staff.

01

CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO

by evaluating organizational effectiveness, particularly in the areas of research, technology, and strategic expansion

02

ENGAGE OUR PEOPLE

by empowering them to be part of the solution

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03

IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

within staff, system and process frameworks

04

EXPAND INNOVATION & IMPACT

by implementing smart solutions

UCI’s engagement campaign, Empowered to Make a Difference, is designed to do exactly that. Through numerous programs and initiatives, our employees are provided with opportunities to express their opinions and ideas.

  • Staff Engagement Survey
  • Bright People, Brilliant Solutions
  • Chancellor’s Town Halls
  • UCI Health CEO’s Town Halls
  • Meet the Chancellor’s Cabinet (Campus)
  • Dine with Leadership (UCI Health)
  • Treat Cart Rounding
  • Special Campaigns – 14 Days of Thanks, Winter of Joy, and More