Inside Iowa State

Oct. 24, 2008

Pay isn't the only thing that drives P&S staff away

by Anne Krapfl

A different job that paid better was a top reason professional and scientific employees left Iowa State in the last 10 months, but not the only one. Unhappiness with their work environment and personal reasons -- such as following a spouse or staying home with children -- were cited nearly as often by departing employees.

The data comes from a new exit interview mailed at the end of each month to all P&S employees who voluntarily left the university that month (excluding retirees). Their participation in the survey also is voluntary. They remain anonymous unless they choose to provide their name and department. Since December 2007, 50 of the 142 P&S employees (35 percent) who resigned completed the survey, either the paper version mailed to them or an identical one online.

For several years, the P&S Council had requested an exit interview for their peers. The perception that P&S employees leave primarily for higher salaries was backed only by anecdotal evidence.

Participants were asked to select a reason or reasons they left Iowa State. The most frequent selections among the 50 respondents were:

• A better paying job (16)
• Unhappy work environment (15)
• Other personal reason (15)
• A higher level job (13)

Associate vice president for human resource services Carla Espinoza said she is satisfied with the response rate so far and perhaps a little relieved that more money isn't the only solution to retaining employees.

"The diagnosis is that it's not just pay, it's also environmental," she said. "So now it's up to us to figure out how we can make things better. This presents several good examples of employees' desire for work-life balance and why we need to address that here."

Espinoza also visited by phone with about a half-dozen former employees who offered their names and numbers. Their stories surprised her.

"First, that they put up with that level of abuse for as long as they did, and second, that the option they chose was to just walk away," she said. "There was no complaint filed, no phone call, no inquiry of any kind."

Espinoza said that part of the training or awareness that needs to occur would benefit employees working with hostile supervisors or co-workers.

"In today's environment, we're [human resource services] oriented to the complainant," she said. "I know we're sympathetic to employees."

And part of the training needed would focus on what she called "attitude adjustment."

"There's a huge need for soft skills, for communication skills," she said. "Some people won't change, but some people simply don't see how their behavior is perceived.

"That's something we can focus on and be proactive about," she noted.

The data from the surveys, which will be posted on the HRS web site, has been compiled in a way that keeps the respondents anonymous. Espinoza said the information will be updated every six months. The three-item questionnaire is being refined this fall, but will continue to be used monthly to gather data.

"The diagnosis is that it's not just pay, it's also environmental. So now it's up to us to figure out how we can make things better. This presents several good examples of employees' desire for work-life balance and why we need to address that here."

Carla Espinoza, associate vice president for human resource services