2001 Employee Survey Questions & Answers

Q. Why is the Lab conducting the survey?
A. Director Bruce Tarter called for the survey as a way to engage employees in the issues that are important to the Laboratory. This is a survey to understand employee views of the LLNL work environment, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the Lab’s desirability as an "employer of choice."

The survey will measure broad Laboratory views, identify employees’ priorities, identify specific local issues for potential local solutions, benchmark against other laboratories and research facilities, and compare responses to the 1995 survey results.

Q. Who gets to take the survey?
A. The survey is available to all LLNL payroll employees, except bargaining unit personnel.

Q. Why can’t supplemental labor employees take the survey?
A. LLNL is not the administrative employer of supplemental labor employees, and many of the potential actions that could result from this survey would not directly affect them. This is consistent with the approach taken in the 1995 survey.

Q. Why should I take the survey? It does not seem like anything ever happened from the 1995 survey.
A. Actually, several Lab programs were developed as a result of the 1995 survey. The ombuds program, mandatory supervisor training, mentoring programs, key improvements to career development and job postings are just a few of the Laboratory enhancements generated from the 1995 survey.

This survey is a chance for all employees to speak their mind on issues that are important to them to the Laboratory, and its workforce.

Q What kind of questions will this survey ask?
A General issues addressed in survey questions include job satisfaction/work environment; career development and retention; diversity and equal opportunity; work/life balance; and overall management of the Lab.

Q. Who put the survey together?
A. The survey was developed by International Survey Research (ISR), an internationally recognized expert in this field. This firm also conducted the 1995 Employee Survey. For this survey ISR consulted with a steering committee and employee groups assembled to assist in identifying areas of concern to be addressed in the survey. The survey was then pre-tested by small groups of randomly selected employees. This process provided important information to ISR regarding the content, the ease of responding in the proposed format, the clarity of the questions being asked, and any technical concerns identified in testing of the Web-based survey.

Q. How do I take the survey?
A. There are two options, either on the Web or in booklet form. Any employee who prefers to take the survey in booklet form can obtain one through his or her directorate point of contact. For those who take the survey on the Web, it will be conducted from the Web site of the survey research firm. Therefore employees can access the site from any location, for example, their home, or, even a cyber café.

Q. How do I find my directorate point of contact?
A.
Administration AD: Tulk, Margaret Single, 3-6611, single1
BBRP AD: Weinstein, Candace Lewis, 3-3841 lewis24
C&MS AD: Graboske, Jana Vargas, 2-6091, vargas6
Computation AD: Cooper, Debbie Lofrisco, 2-0433, lofrisco1
DNT AD: Anastasio, Jennifer Petersen, Patti Lann. 4-3160, 3-0815, petersen7,
lann2
Energy & Envirn . AD: Chou, Carla Lewis, Gloria Baker, 2-6475, 2-9863, lewis8
baker5
Laboratory Services AD: Hunt, Bunny Kundert, 2-0621, kundert2
NAI AD: Shotts, Jeanne Rogers, 3-1838, rogers8
NIF AD: Miller, Anika Rodda, 3-1329, rodda1
PAT AD: Goldstein, Shelley Rose, 3-4678, rose10
Safety, Security & Environ. Protection AD: D. Fisher, Manny Lateiner, 3-6398, lateiner1
Engineering AD: Dimolitsas, Candace Miranda, 2-3342, miranda1
Chief Financial Ofc: Alison Girotto, 3-1165, girotto1
Director's Office: Patti Carter, 2-7401, carter13Q.

How long will the survey be available?
A. The web-based survey is available online from May 29 to June 22. The deadline for returning the survey booklets to ISR will be June 15. The deadline is shorter for booklet versions of the survey to allow ISR ample time to scan the data into its system.

Q. How do I know my answers will be kept confidential?
A. The ISR Website is located in Chicago on a protected server. Each employee will be given his/her own six-digit password randomly generated by ISR. That password will be sealed in an envelope, along with instructions for taking the survey. All the sealed password envelopes will be shipped to LLNL and then addressed and mailed to employees at their L-codes. Passwords are not tied to any employee list; so employees may swap passwords with their co-workers if they wish.

Q. Why do I need a password?
A. The password helps ensure that the survey is kept confidential and anonymous. It also protects other ISR customers and non-Laboratory employees from gaining access to the survey. The password access will also allow employees to start the survey at one time and complete it at another time if needed.

Q. Do I still need my password if I want to take the survey in paper form?
A. Yes. In this case an employee will turn in the password to their directorate point of contact, who will then provide a survey booklet. Employees taking the survey in booklet form will not record their password in their booklets. A postage-paid return envelope will be included so the booklet can be returned directly to ISR.

Q. Can I still take the survey on a computer at the Lab, even if I don’t have regular access to one in my workplace?
A. Several computer stations are available across the Lab to accommodate employees who do not have regular access to one. Computers are available in the TID Library, Trailer 4727; the Hazards Control Training Center, Trailer 2679; and the Lab Training Center, Trailer 1879. Also check with your supervisor or your directorate’s survey point of contact for local accessibility.

Q. What if I didn’t receive a password or lose mine?
A. ISR will furnish additional passwords to the Laboratory. Contact your directorate’s survey point of contact if this happens.

Q. How long will the survey take?
A. The survey should take no more than about 30 minutes to complete. Employees will be allowed to take the survey during work hours.

Q. I work on recharge. What account number should I charge my time to?
A. There is no special account number for taking the survey. Check with your supervisor or your directorate’s survey point of contact for charging information.

Q. What if I start taking the survey and I need to stop for a while and then come back?
A. ISR will furnish complete instructions on how to take a break from the Web-based survey process without losing what has already been completed.

Q. What if I complete the survey on the Web, submit it to ISR, and then want to change my answers?
A. Answers cannot be changed after the survey has been submitted. This is why it is important that employees read the instructions first and make sure they understand all directions before completing and submitting the survey. Once a Web-based survey has been submitted, the password will be removed from the active list and the employee will not be able to re-access his/her survey.

Q. Once the surveys are completed, what happens next?
A. ISR will do a thorough analysis of the data. ISR staff will return to the Lab in late summer to present the survey findings to employees and management. Survey data will be posted on the Web. In the next few months the Steering Committee with input from other interested groups will work to develop the process that will be used to review the results and present proposed action items to the Director for consideration and implementation.

Q. What if I choose not to take the survey?
A. You don’t have to, but the success of the survey depends on all of us. This survey will not just take the temperature of the work environment. This is every employee’s opportunity to provide important feedback and identify priority issues that need to be addressed in order to sustain our position as an employer of choice for our current and future employees. Please participate in the survey.