Posted on November 18, 2021 by kingcountyemployees

Taking action on September pulse survey responses

The most recent employee engagement pulse survey found that Engagement, Well-being, and Belonging indices are all trending upwards since the previous survey, and that a sense of belonging among teams can help reduce stress and increase well-being.

The pulse survey, conducted in September 2021, took a deeper dive into belonging to better understand how our public service work benefits when employees have a strong sense of belonging and well-being.

Key findings included:

Well-being, engagement, and belonging are all trending up for most demographics, except 51 and older where belonging and engagement have decreased.
There were significant increases in employee concerns about contracting COVID-19, mental health, and emotional demands of work.
At King County, a strong sense of belonging is associated with:
- Much lower levels of workplace stress:
  - Only 23% of employees with a high sense of belonging report regularly feeling excessive stress at work compared to 52% of employees with a low sense of belonging.
  - Employees with a low sense of belonging are more likely to experience stress related to conflict with co-workers, uncertainty about their role/work, a lack of control over their work, or a poor relationship with their manager.
- Much greater willingness to stay at the organization if offered a similar job at another company:
  - 84% of employees with a high sense of belonging are willing to stay at the organization compared to only 38% of employees with a low sense of belonging.
- Much greater enthusiasm for work:
  - 94% of employees with a high sense of belonging are enthusiastic about their work compared to only 67% of employees with a low sense of belonging.

At the same time, more than three-quarters (76%) of expected action plans have been entered. Of those, almost half (44%) are focused specifically on improving employees’ sense of belonging.

Popular actions include:

Team activities to build belonging
- 3 things that have most shaped people
- “I am, but I am not”
- Rose and thorn
Regular practices to promote connection
- Ice breakers at the beginning of meetings
- 1-5 check ins
Recognizing people for effort and growth
Creating opportunities for collective problem solving
Engaging people in decisions impacting them
- Make it a practice to ask team for input and incorporate what is shared.

Summary of key findings and recommended responses

Finding	Recommendation
Engagement, Well-being, and Belonging indices are all trending upwards since the June 2021 survey.	Continue to execute action plans focused on belonging and well-being.
Employees feel that they have the resources to manage their health but mental health concerns and concerns about contracting COVID-19 are increasing.	Leaders and managers should continue to show support for employee health and well-being especially around issues of mental health.
A sense of belonging among teams can help reduce stress and increase well-being. Leaders and managers play a critical role in creating this sense of belonging.	Leaders and managers can help build a culture of belonging and well-being by shifting away from trauma holding crisis management and toward a healing, relational culture. Specifically, leaders and managers should be intentional about including employees in decision making, showing appreciation, and creating safe spaces for listening/sharing different perspectives. Senior and department leadership can help this by demonstrating behaviors that model vulnerability, empathy, and inclusion.
On-site workers are less familiar with important Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ) communication topics compared to remote workers.	OESJ topics should be communicated using channels that are inclusive of on-site workers that may not work at a computer with regular access to email.

The survey was a random sample of Executive Branch employees, conducted via email and QR code invitation. A total of 877 responses were collected between Sept. 8 – 27, 2021.