University of the Arts London: Connecting your survey with purpose 

The University of the Arts London (UAL) is one of the leading Higher Education Institutions for art, design, fashion and communication education in the UK and around the world, hanking 2nd in the world in QS World University Rankings for art and design. Comprising six renowned colleges—Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts—UAL offers a diverse and innovative curriculum. UAL has consistently been at the forefront of nurturing creative talent and fostering an environment where students can explore and develop their artistic and professional skills. UAL’s global reputation attracts a vibrant and diverse student body and dynamic employees, creating a stimulating environment for a great employee experience.  

University of the Arts London has carried out employee surveys before but the surveys weren’t always successful in terms of participation. Their 2020 and 2021 pulse surveys ranged from a participation rate of 15% to 18.7%. While this is likely down to a number of factors, a main contributor could be the size and distribution of the university. The university spans multiple colleges, institutes and research centres and has over 6,000 staff members, mostly academics. Engaging, surveying and then implementing action plans across this many teams poses inherent problems, and UAL was determined to overcome the obstacles to make their employee listening strategy a success. 

The team at UAL spoke with us about their most recent employee survey in a Learn & Share. Watch the webinar below. 

UAL carried out internal pulse poll surveys in the 2020/2021 academic year, which received response rates ranging from 15-18.7%. These surveys were internally managed and wellbeing-focused, carried out in response to the pandemic. With just over 800 completed surveys, the internal surveys were run on a local platform and had limited accessibility. 

In 2022, and following a competitive procurement process, UAL partnered with People Insight to carry out their employee survey.  

People Insight’s expertise in the sector, ability to benchmark against other HEIs, and alignment with the university’s social purpose ambitions were key factors in the decision. The partnership led to a massive improvement in response rates. UAL saw a 41% response rate in 2022 and a 55% response rate in 2023. Following the 2023 survey, 2,533 trees were planted through the Eden Project. The 2023 survey also saw a 6% increase in response rate from hourly paid lecturers. 

UAL highlighted various challenges that stood in the way of survey success in the past, including organisational changes and identifying correct establishment models. To address some of these issues, UAL offered executive board one-on-one coaching sessions and increased the number of dashboard users to ensure better communication and action planning. The university also had a more extended lead time for the survey, allowing for earlier communication and implementation of local action plans. There was also a larger focus placed on executive board ownership and increased engagement for effective post-survey activity. 

In their 2022 survey, UAL learned valuable lessons, such as the importance of clear communication and of setting realistic targets. Despite some challenges, they managed to increase their response rate significantly with the help of People Insight. Lessons learned from this survey helped to further strengthen the 2023 survey, leading to even better results and participation. 

In the 2023 survey, to maximise reach, the university implemented a dedicated communications campaign. This involved internal comms teams and working groups. Senior leadership, including the Vice-Chancellor, was actively involved, emphasising the importance of measuring employee engagement and hearing from staff. The strategic approach included a longer lead time, dedicated resources and effective communication strategies. UAL aimed to improve response rates, particularly for academic and hourly paid staff. They did this by keeping the question set the same as the previous year and implementing a strong branding and comms campaign. During the survey, live response rates were shared with teams to encourage healthy competition. The Chief People Officer provided weekly updates to the executive board and the President and Vice Chancellor promoted the survey in all-staff briefings.  

In their latest survey, UAL achieved a 55% participation rate and a 71% engagement rate. The participation rate saw an incredible 266%increase from 2020. Between 2022 and 2023, the university saw a 6% increase in response rates from hourly paid staff alone. Other highlights include a 75% of employees who agreed with the statement “my work gives me a sense of personal achievement”. This demonstrates just how invested employees at UAL are with their work. 

Following the survey, a deep-dive analysis was carried out to explore intersectionality data from their staff survey results. These presentations, which covered topics like career development, EDI, learning and development, line management, workload, technicians, parents and carers and disability, helped drive engagement and inform action planning groups. For instance, the EDI presentation identified low scores among disabled respondents in certain colleges and functions, leading to a drive to improve workplace adjustments at both a local and university-wide level.  

The relationship with HR business partners was crucial in managing and tracking these actions. The People Department saw real success through the implementation of Focus Friday. This involved a dedicated head-down time on Friday afternoons to reduce meeting fatigue and enable self-development.