Thank you to everyone who responded to the first annual WHCS All-Staff survey. Of our 347 total employees, we had 192 responses (55%). The results of the survey have proved to be a valuable guide to understanding more about what we are doing well, and what we need to improve upon in order to make Wilshire Health & Community Services “a great place to work.”

The detailed results of the survey were shared with all staff in June, and over the last two months, administrators, managers, and supervisors have been further briefed about the implications of the survey results. The knowledge we have gained is already being put to use in the revision of some company policies and practices.

Here are a few of the interesting highlights from the survey:

1. We haven’t been here that long – (56% of us have worked at WHCS for less than five years)
2. This is our “day job” – (76% of WHCS employees are full-time)
3. There is no “job title merry go round” – (a combined 65% have been in their current position for several years)
4. We live where we work – (83% of us commute 25 miles or less to work)
5. We’re getting older – (53% of us are age 51 and better)
6. We do not reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the communities we serve – (80% of staff identify as white, compared to 40% in state of CA)
7. What matters most regarding our careers, are:
   1. “Interesting and meaningful work”
   2. “A team environment”
   3. “Job satisfaction”
8. Having “flexible start/finish times” is the work option we would appreciate most
9. When we think about our own career paths, the most important success factors are:
   • “Support from my manager/supervisor”
   • “Opportunities to participate in company-sponsored learning and skill-building courses”
   • “More opportunity for professional development in my current job”
10. When asked “what will keep us at WHCS,” we said:
    • “Policies and strategies to support work/life balance”
    • “Increased training and leadership development opportunities”
    • “Celebrations of both personal milestones and company successes”
11. When asked about having “a great job, at a great company”we said the following factors are most important:
    • “Feeling a sense of trust and respect within the team”
    • “Communicating in an open and honest manner throughout the workplace”
    • “Having consistent and reasonable expectations about workload”
12. When asked how much we experience the above factors, we said (on average) “Usually.”
13. WHCS gets high marks where it counts most:

One of the final questions on the survey included: When you consider your perspective on having a “great job, at a great company” please indicate how important each of the following factors are for you.

The following factors received a combined rank – Very Important/Important – of virtually 100%:

When asked “how frequently do you experience each of these at WHCS,” respondents offered a combined rank – Always/Usually – of:

• Feeling a sense of trust and respect within the team – 86%
• Having consistent/reasonable expectations about workload – 73%
• Communicating in an open and honest manner throughout the workplace – 73%
• Liking the people I work with – 95%
• Knowing management/staff understand/value my work – 78%
• Having appropriate performance expectations on my job – 85%

This response rate signals a very healthy relationship between understanding what matters and experience those factors on a day-to-day basis.

For questions or discussion about the all-staff survey, please contact:

Jesse Sostrin, PhD

Vice President – Leadership & Organization Development, Wilshire Health & Community Services

P. 805-547-7025 x16

Email: jsostrin@wilshirehcs.org