Groundwork for extensive employee survey under way

A comprehensive survey of employee attitudes and concerns about workforce issues is to be conducted this spring at the Laboratory and is now under development.

The goal is to conduct the survey, assess the results and implement a full set of recommendations within the calendar year.

In his Jan. 12 column, Director Bruce Tarter said, "we need to maintain our highly skilled workforce as we prepare for the future. I want to ensure that the Lab is seen as a good place to work, 'an employer of choice.'"

International Survey Research (ISR), which conducted the 1995 diversity survey, will develop and conduct the new workforce issues survey. In addition to obtaining comprehensive information as to the concerns of Lab employees, the firm will be able to benchmark such data against similar institutions in Silicon Valley and the DOE complex.

The survey is being conducted to identify work environment and related issues the Laboratory must address to more effectively recruit and retain highly skilled scientists and engineers as well as other skills necessary to maintain a world-class research laboratory. It will also serve as a follow-up to the diversity survey conducted five years ago.

As part of the development process, ISR representatives will be seeking feedback from diverse groups across the Laboratory by interviewing many different focus groups. Some randomly selected employees may already have received invitations earlier this week to participate in these groups. Interviews will begin next week.

While diversity will be an important element of the new survey, the major intent will be to focus more broadly on all aspects of the present and desired future work environment at the Laboratory.

Tarter urges employees to "devote serious thought" to the survey questions when they receive them. "We need your perspective to succeed."

Additional information about the survey and the survey process will appear in upcoming issues of Newsline .

Employees may also send comments and/or suggestions about workforce issues to the director via e-mail at workforce2001 [at] llnl.gov ( workforce2001[at]llnl[dot]gov ) .