A new survey will give the BU community an opportunity to share their experiences and help improve all aspects of campus life. Photo by Cydney Scott

University News

As BU Prepares New Survey, Learn What Came Out of the Last One

Strong response rate in 2021 Korn Ferry survey has led to many changes, especially with hiring and onboarding new employees, HR head says

A new survey is on its way next week across the Boston University Campus—the 2023 Belonging & Culture Survey will give faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to share their experiences and help improve all aspects of campus life.

But whatever came of BU’s last major survey, in 2021, when staff were asked questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus by consulting firm Korn Ferry. It turns out, that survey, which had an overall response rate of 75 percent (4,647 staff answered), has quietly sparked a lot of movement and change. 

“That response was excellent, and this time we’re hoping to hear from even more of you,” says Amanda Bailey, BU’s vice president for human resources. 

Making sure students understand why it’s vital that they take the new survey is a point of emphasis for BU’s Human Resources department.

“The core of what we do, BU’s mission, is to create an excellent academic experience so students can go out and do lifelong service,” Bailey says. “For us, that requires seeking their opinions on things that matter to their experience. At our core, we exist to create an experience for students. If we don’t learn from them where we can improve, then we will always miss the mark.

“HR is working to deliver human resources that impact positively the experiences for everyone on campus, through the lens of these initiatives,” she adds. “Without their additional feedback, we are not able to continue to enhance these services.”

Jason Campbell-Foster, interim associate provost and dean of students, emphasizes how important it is for students to realize their story matters. “How you feel connected, or disconnected from us, matters,” he says. “This is an opportunity for you to tell that story and have it reach the highest levels of the institution. The more we learn about your experiences, hopes, and expectations for our community, the more precise we can be in creating meaningful change.”

Among the findings from 2021—a staff-only survey—17 percent of respondents identified as “asexual, bisexual or pansexual, gay, lesbian, queer, questioning, or something else.” Of the respondents, 42 percent were below age 40, 39 percent said they have caregiver responsibilities, and 10 percent said they are most comfortable speaking a language other than English.

The Korn Ferry survey revealed areas where staff believe BU is performing favorably when compared to its peers, as well as places where they believe it’s lagging.

One example of how the survey led to concrete change was in how the University hires and on-boards new employees.

“All of that came from feedback that people told Korn Ferry—it was a real pain point,” Bailey says. “We were losing people to go elsewhere because once they got hired, they didn’t have a lot of interaction to know where to go for multiple services, beyond just benefits documents to complete. Employees were not navigated by any office to the multiple features BU has to offer.

“New hires were feeling lost. It’s a big community. What we took away is they needed more guidance because we are a large, complex institution, and they needed help to know where to go and become a part of the BU community.”

She says that the new onboarding experience will take longer, but now includes “a suite of activities we will invite them to complete. None of that would have been possible without this feedback.”

Among other positive factors revealed in the survey were having managers and supervisors who are flexible in allowing employees to handle personal or family matters; being treated respectfully by coworkers; having a solid understanding of what it means to be “antiracist”; and feeling valued and appreciated for making contributions.

Some of the less favorable findings: Boston University is not effective in advancing people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into leadership positions; promotions and assignments are not always made fairly; managers and supervisors are not held accountable for creating diverse and inclusive work environments; and management must be better at encouraging staff to share important information about the organization, even bad news.

A total of 32 initiatives were developed from the Korn Ferry survey and are now in various stages of implementation, with some still in progress, others completed, and several not yet underway. A partial list of ideas and initiatives that came from staff sharing their experiences through the Korn Ferry survey follows. (Find a complete list and status report here.)

• Partner with diverse member associations to connect with underrepresented professional and veterans groups.

• Virtual and in-person job fairs, including with the National Urban League, Boston While Black 2023 Summit, and other affinity group associations.

• Expand partnership with LinkedIn to include sourcing diverse applicants passively; continue to promote key jobs and increase our social media presence on LinkedIn.

• Establish a partnership with a job board website to advertise jobs at more than 200 sites focused to attract diversity professionals in higher ed.

• Expand candidate qualifications by standardizing all jobs to offer education and/or experience, including gender-neutral language.

• Reinforce respectful workplace programs through organizational structure, programs, and feedback channels.

• Deploy inclusion learning programs for staff leaders and individual contributors.

• Design a mentorship program.

• Establish a more clearly defined process for onboarding new employees.

• Review and redesign HR structure and processes: talent acquisition.

• Define a DEI strategy aligned to talent strategy.