oits employee viewpoint survey 2015.pdf

8/20/2019 OITS Employee Viewpoint Survey 2015.pdf

1/14

Employee Viewpoint

Survey Report

2015


2/14

Table of Contents

Letter from Maggie Miller """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 3

Introduction """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 4

Who Responded?. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 5

Results at a Glance and Action Plans """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 6#8

Results # Turnover, Staff Retention and 21st Century Workforce """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 9

Results # Comments """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 10

Conclusion """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 11

Methodology """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 12#14


3/14

Since beginning my tenure as New York State’s Chief Information Officer

(CIO) and Director of the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS)

last December, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many ITS staff and look

forward to working with all of you. I know there has been a tremendous

amount of change in recent years and I recognize the enormity of the

challenges we face. Transitioning thousands of employees from more than

50 agencies into one is no small task; in fact, it is one of the most complex

undertakings of its kind in the nation. It has only been through your

dedication and collaboration that we have been able to achieve so much

thus far, and I thank each one of you for helping make it possible.

As the new CIO, it is important for me to take the pulse of our agency and

its most important assets: our employees. So, in looking for your input, we

launched the 2015 Employee Viewpoint Survey (EViewS) earlier this year to solicit feedback and identify

both challenges and opportunities as we move into this next phase of our multi#year transformation. I thank

each of the 2,037 employees who took the time to provide their comments.

I want to particularly recognize the ITS staff who made this survey initiative possible: members of the

Editorial Board including Shoshanah Bewlay, Leslie Brennan, Moses Kamya, Nancy Mulholland and Bob

Vasko; and the staff who analyzed the data and drafted the report: Karen Bonville, Cynthia Erno, Alice

Southworth, Tom Wegener (retired) and Anne Marie Rainville.

The survey identified a number of key strengths, including strong working relationships between employees

and supervisors, and a sense of purpose about the work being done. Some areas for improvement include

need for better communication and enhanced recognition for employees. More details about the survey

results, as well as initiatives to address areas of concern, are included in this report .

We have made a lot of great progress, but still have much to do. Change does not happen immediately.

Many of the challenges we face did not develop overnight, and will not be solved overnight. Our

transformation is a multi#year effort that will require continued dedication, creativity, and collaboration.

By coming together as a team, we can bring ITS into its next phase and serve as an example for others

in government and industry.

Thank you for all that you do each day for the State. I appreciate the feedback you provided in this survey

and look forward to continuing the dialogue as we work to fulfill the Governor's vision of transforming the

way we serve citizens.

Maggie

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Message from the NYS CIO


4/14

Introduction

Prior to the creation of the NYS Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) in fall 2012, more than 50

state agencies were supported by discrete teams of IT leadership, technologists, and support staff working

with disparate IT tools and methods, delivering varied technical platforms. Creating a single agency ofapproximately 4,000 professionals to handle the delivery of the full range of information technology to

our partner agencies was the largest IT consolidation in state government.

The “transformed” ITS organizational structure combines enterprise teams, with overarching expertise in

areas such as data management, infrastructure, information security, and service management, with clusters

that support groups of agencies with similar missions that can most readily share IT services, data, and

business processes. This allows the state to develop and invest in a statewide IT strategy that advances

industry best#practices, while meeting the needs of partner agencies.

Recognizing the powerful connection between organizational health and agency performance, ITS leadership

engaged McKinsey & Company to conduct several organizational health studies beginning in 2013. Although

these surveys provided ITS leadership with data about specific areas of organizational health at an early point

in the IT transformation, we are now at the next level of our growth, so it’s an opportune time to assess our

environment. ITS is committed to a long#term strategy for measuring and managing key aspects of

organizational health and in that regard, conducted the Employee Viewpoint Survey (eViewS), which

we adapted from the survey used by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

The survey comprised nearly 100 questions to draw insight from ITS employees regarding their role in the

organization, workforce concerns and opportunities for improvement .

The survey results have already led to a number of initiatives to address the responses and will continue

to serve as a baseline to inform a proactive plan moving forward.


5/14

Who Responded?

Employees are ITS’s most important resource, and an engaged and satisfied workforce is central to achieving

our strategic goals. This year, ITS conducted the first EViewS. Responding to EViewS is one of the most

direct ways ITS employees can provide their feedback on various aspects of their experience working for ITS. All ITS employees were invited to participate in EViewS and this year 2,037 responses were received. The

following data reflects the basic demographics of 2015 EViewS responses.

Response Rate

At the time of the survey, the ITS fill level was 3,600 employees. With 2,037 responses, the ITS response

rate was 57% (2,037/3,600). A 57% response rate compares favorably with the typical federal government

response (46.8% in 2014) and should be considered an actionable body of data.

Demographics

Years of Service

65 percent of respondents

have more than 10 years of

New York State service.

12 percent of respondents

report being within 3 years of

retirement.

Years of Service Responses

20+ 821

11 to 20 506

6 to 10 470

3 to 5 144

1 to 2 50

Less than 1 Year 46

Total 2,037

1 Only New York State employees were invited to take the EViewS. Contract staff members were not included.

Anonymity

To encourage candid feedback, EViewS responses were confidential. All demographic questions were

required; however, the data was self #reported and six of the nine demographic questions enabled employees

to select either “I prefer not to say” or “this question does not apply to me.”

57% (2,037) of ITS

employees responded to

the 2015 EViewS.


6/14

Results at a Glance

Areas for Improvement—25% or Lower Favorable Rating

Our Strengths—70% or Higher Favorable Rating

The 2015 EViewS consists of nine demographic questions, 77 workplace questions, and 13 work#life questions

for a total of 99 questions. All the workplace questions have multiple#choice answers that provide for a range

of responses from strong satisfaction/agreement to strong dissatisfaction/disagreement. “Neither agree nordisagree” and “Do not know” were both options.

The data presented below show our top strengths as an organization. These questions received a 70 percent

or higher favorable rating. These are the strengths that ITS will continue to build upon. In addition, the set of

questions that received a 25 percent or lower favorable rating are areas that we will focus on improving over

the next year. We will measure our progress a year from now to see what strengths we should continue to

build on and what we need to focus on improving. We are committed to this as a continual process.

96% When needed, I am willing to put in the extra effort to get a job done.

86% I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better.

85% My immediate supervisor treats me with respect.

83% My immediate supervisor supports my need to balance work and other life issues.

82% The work I do is important.

82% How would you rate the overall quality of work done by your unit? (82% rated good or very good)

80% My immediate supervisor listens to what I have to say.

77% The people I work with cooperate to get the job done.

74% I am held accountable for achieving results.

73% Overall, I feel my immediate supervisor is doing a good job.

73% I like the kind of work I do.

25% ITS Exec Leadership demonstrates support for work/life balance programs.

25% In my work unit, differences in performance are recognized in meaningful ways.

24% ITS Exec Leadership maintains high standards of honesty and integrity.

23% Awards and/or Recognition in my work unit depend on how well employees perform their jobs.

22% Promotions in my work unit are based on merit.

21% How satisfied are you with your opportunity to advance in ITS? (21% rated satisfied or very satisfied)

21% Creativity and innovation are rewarded.

20% ITS Exec Leadership generates high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce.

20% I am satisfied with the policies and practices of ITS Exec Leadership.

19% Employees get interesting assignments based on their job performance.


7/14

What does the data tell us?

ITS immediate supervisors are viewed as one of our biggest strengths!

ACTION PLAN:We need to continue to grow and develop our current and future supervisors. The HR Training Department created and in July, began the rollout of a seven module training program calledISS (ITS Supervisor Series). 240 ITS supervisors have already been trained on Module 1.Module 2 will begin this month with four classes offered on September 15th, 18th, 22nd and 23rd.For more information, please visit the Inside Edge or call the training department directly at518#402#4004.

We need to expand our ITS employee recognition program!

ACTION PLAN:

In 2014, we launched the ITS Recognition Program which included annual awards in thesecategories: Championship; Customer Service; Innovation and Creativity; Partnership; andService Excellence. A total of 41 ITS employees were recognized.

This year, we will expand the ITS Recognition Program to include more categories and we will recognize a larger number of our employees enterprise wide.

We will begin recognizing employees’ milestone anniversaries, starting with 20 yearsof service and then every five years after that. It is important that we recognize our long service employees and thank them for their commitment to NYS.

We will also be developing a recognition toolkit and sharing it with managers. We want ourmanagers armed with tools and ideas to recognize exemplary performance throughoutthe year without having to wait until year end. Recognition has greater impact when it isprovided in a timely manner (for example: immediately after a successful project is completed.)

We need to expand Executive Leadership’s visibility and communications!

ACTION PLAN:

The Executive Leadership team is committed to increased visibility and communications withtheir teams and the entire organization. Maggie recently announced that Krista Montie joined usas our Director of Communications. Her role includes ITS internal communications. Krista will

work closely with Maggie, our leaders and HR to ensure important business updates andinformation are being shared with our employees. We are currently reviewing our three year Strategic Plan, along with our Mission, Vision, Values and will share any updates.

We will utilize town hall meetings, WebEx, videos, InsideEdge, email, in#person visits and other communication vehicles to ensure our employees are aware of all the exciting projects andevents going on at ITS.


8/14

What does the data tell us?

We need to educate ITS employees on the various NYS work/life programs!

ACTION PLAN:The survey included 13 questions on the work/life programs and benefits available at ITS. Theresponses we received to these questions were predominately “No Basis to Judge or I Was Not

Aware of an ITS Sponsored…”

Work/Life Programs support a flexible work environment that considers the quality of life for employees andare increasingly viewed an important management tools for maintaining an engaged workforce. Various work/programs are available to New York State and ITS employees. When implemented according to contemporarbest business practices, Work/Life Programs demonstrate significant benefits for agencies, employees, andour communities. We will ensure that information regarding these programs is available to managers andemployees.

For more information on receiving confidential assistance handling work and life issues call 866#320#4760 or vwww.nysbalance.ny.gov # username: nys and password: balance.

For more information on NYS work/life services offered visit www.worklife.ny.gov. Information can also be founon the InsideEdge under the Forms and Policies tab.

We need to create opportunities for ITS employees to grow and develop!

ACTION PLAN:

Similar to employee recognition, the survey showed that growth, development and new opportunities areimportant to most employees. Maggie recently announced that Shannon Fitzpatrick has joined ITS and will focon workforce strategy and planning. This includes partnering with our managers to ensure they are thinking abhow they can grow their teams’ skills and abilities, provide varied and interesting work assignments and plan foappropriate career paths.

The transformation has already resulted in numerous opportunities and evolutions. In 2014, ITS hadapproximately 225 internal promotions or transfers. Year to date, we have had approximately 175 internalpromotions or transfers. In partnership with the Civil Service, we have made the following advancements:

Examinations: In collaboration with Civil Service, the ITS promotion examinations were held and lists wereestablished with Selective Certification; the Business Systems Analysts were held, and we anticipate the ProjeManager Series to occur next.

Project positions: ITS has more Project positions than any other agency in the state. These positions allow foopportunities based on skills and experience.

Current training and development opportunities: Working with outside entities, we made Project Managementand Business Analyst training available. In addition, ITS employees have access to online workshops throughvendors such as Empire Knowledge Bank, Books 24x7, and Lynda.com. Employees will soon be able to viewopportunities through a comprehensive training catalogue and calendar.


9/14

Employee Turnover, Staff Retention,and the 21st Century Workforce

Much has been written about the shortage of information technology talent, the workplace expectations ofGeneration X, Y, and Z, and the demographic realities of a shrinking workforce. While the U.S. workforcegrew at a rate of 30 percent in the 1970s and 12 percent in the 1990s, the Bureau of Labor Statistics

projects an annual growth rate of only 0.7 percent for the labor force from 2010 to 2020. In 2014, the lastof the Baby Boomers turned 50. Baby Boomers make up one#third of the workforce and there simply aren’tenough young workers to replace them.

In her February 2010 testimony before the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways & Means Committees,then Department of Civil Service Commissioner Nancy G. Groenwegen testified that within the next fiveyears, nearly 20 percent of the state’s workforce and nearly 36 percent of the state’s management/confidential employees will be eligible to retire with full benefits.

It should come as no surprise that these national and New York trends appear in the ITS demographicdata. Over 40 percent of survey respondents report having more than 20 years of service to New YorkState. Nearly 12 percent report a plan to retire within three years and almost 10 percent plan to leave ITS

within a year to take another job. Current HR data tells us that approximately 960 or 27 percent of ITS em-ployees will be eligible to retire within the next five years.

Over the coming months, many ITS employees with thousands of years of combined experience andinstitutional knowledge may decide leave New York State service. ITS needs to act creatively and quicklyin terms of recruitment and retention. We will strive to be an “employer of choice,” not only to retain exist-ing employees, but to meet our mission of being a world#class IT service provider.


10/14

Results " Comments

Overview

Surveys designed to gather input on the important components of organizational health produce objective

and comparable data. The nine demographic questions, 77 workplace questions, and 13 work/life questionscombine to provide a rich pool of data which can help to celebrate successes and inform necessary

leadership action.

To supplement these multiple choice questions, ITS leadership directed the addition of a free #text “comment”

section for this survey. A total of 1,359 written comments were received. The team read each comment and

developed a consistent approach to categorizing the narrative into the appropriate category. As stated

earlier, these comments have already led to a number of initiatives to address the responses and will

continue to serve as a baseline to inform a proactive plan moving forward.

The comments fell into the following categories:

Comment Categories Count % of Total

Leadership 198 14.6%

Sharing Information 182 13.4%

External Agency/Partner Customer Service 160 11.8%

Quality of Work Product 139 10.2%

Workplace 136 10.0%

Career Development 119 8.8%

Transformation Challenges 117 8.6%

General 115 8.5%

Resources 104 7.7%

Internal ITS Customer Service

89 6.5%

Total Comment Reviews Classified 1359 100.0%


11/14

Conclusion

Through the ITS Employee Viewpoint Survey, ITS employees were given an opportunity to express their

opinions about their jobs, workplaces and leaders.

The results of the survey illustrate the dedication and commitment of the ITS workforce. The overwhelmingmajority of ITS employees are willing to put in extra effort to get their jobs done, believe the work they do is

important, and actively look for ways to do their jobs better. Most have very positive and supportive

relationships with their supervisors, and co#workers cooperate to get the job done.

The results also give us opportunities for improvement regarding career paths for employees, new, interesting

and varied work assignments and role clarity. The data reveals that we still have work to do around our

transformation and that communication needs to increase across the entire enterprise.

We are committed to taking proactive steps to address the feedback and provide a positive, progressive

environment in which to foster the most valuable asset ITS has: its employees. By ensuring the workplace

is the best it can be, ITS can thrive and be a world#

class IT service provider to our customers.


12/14

Methodology


13/14

Methodology

What is the Employee Viewpoint Survey?

The 2015 Employee Viewpoint Survey (EViewS) draws insight from ITS employees and measures employee

perceptions of how effectively ITS manages the workforce.

EViewS covers nine topic areas:

Demographics (9 Questions)

My Work Experience (19 Questions)

My Work Unit (9 Questions)

ITS (13 Questions)

My Immediate Supervisor (12 Questions)

ITS Executive Leadership (5 Questions)

ITS Managers and Supervisors (10 Questions)

My Satisfaction (9 Questions)

Work/Life Programs (13 Questions)

How was EViewS developed?

In January 2015, ITS developed EViewS with guidance from the CxO leadership and a Survey Review Team

of five ITS staff. The Chief Portfolio Office sponsored the development and implementation of EViewS at the

request of the State Chief Information Officer, in support of the ITS Transformation and the MeasureITPerformance Management initiative.

Who Participated?

All full#time and part#time NYS employees working for ITS at the time of the survey were invited to participate.

How Many Employees Participated?

At the time of the survey, the ITS fill level was 3,600 employees. With 2,037 responses, the ITS response

rate can be calculated as either 57 percent. This rate compares favorably with the typical federal government

response (46.8 percent in 2014) and should be considered an actionable body of data.

How was the survey administered?

EViewS was self #administered using an Internet#based survey hosted by Survey Gizmo. In addition to the

original invitation, ITS sent survey reminders and the survey period was extended beyond the original

schedule to encourage broad participation.


14/14

How were results produced?

Several members of the ITS leadership team comprised an Editorial Board that provided guidance to the

Survey Review Team.

Why did it take several months to publish the results?

The Team wanted to ensure thoughtful review and careful analysis to ensure the development of a

meaningful report that resulted in actionable deliverables.

Methodology

oits employee viewpoint survey 2015.pdf

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