Printer friendly version

2003 Checkpoint and Upward Appraisal surveys to be distributed this week

University of California full-time and part-time Laboratory employees are receiving their 2003 Checkpoint and Upward Appraisal surveys this week. The surveys are being mailed to UC Lab employees at their mail stops.

Some 8,400 full-time and part-time UC Lab employees, including regular, postdoctoral and limited-term employees are scheduled to receive the surveys. The deadline to return the survey is July 25. UC Lab employees should complete the surveys with a number two pencil or in black or blue ink and should not bend or staple the surveys because they will be scored electronically.

The two surveys provide an opportunity for employees to anonymously make their opinions known to managers and Lab leaders on a range of topics.

This year's Checkpoint survey has 54 questions addressing issues such as career development, communication, diversity, job satisfaction, management, pay, performance management, productivity, and safety/security. A few new questions were added this year pertaining to ethics and the UC contract to manage the Lab. Also included is a comment page for employees to make comments about any topic of concern. According to Workforce Data and Analysis (HR-WDA), in the past, employees used the included comment page to bring management's attention to constructive suggestions on specific issues.

The Upward Appraisal Survey consists of 20 questions related to management behavior in areas such as communication skills, trustworthiness, accountability, decision-making ability and fairness toward employees. Employees may complete the 20 question set for a "direct" supervisor (e.g., team leader) , a "skip" level supervisor (e.g., group leader) and an "other" supervisor, such as a division leader.

"Managers have found the Checkpoint survey useful in identifying and addressing areas of concern to employees," said John Pantano of HR-WDA. In past years, both Laboratory and division-level results have been used by Lab managers to address issues of concern to employees such as communication, compensation and professional development.

"The results from this year's surveys will be used to assist in developing a baseline indicator of morale at the Laboratory as part of one of the Director's Performance Improvement Projects (DPIP) concerning ethics and employee morale," said Tim Babicke of HR.

Pantano noted that HR-WDA is available to work with managers individually to interpret their survey results and to develop strategies to address issues identified through the survey results.

Results from either survey are released only at the level at which the confidentiality and anonymity of the respondents is assured. Workforce Data and Analysis provides findings and comments to teams or groups that have five respondents or more. Division tallies will include results regardless of whether they are reported at the team or at the group level. Survey results for an organization will not be reported if there are less than five respondents from that organization.

The Human Resources Division administered the surveys nine of the last 10 years (all but year 2000) and the response rate has been around 46 percent, said Pantano. HR-WDA will compare findings from this year's surveys to those from past years to discern trends.

For questions about the surveys write to Checkpoint@lanl.gov by electronic mail, or call the survey team at 5-1423.

-- Steve Sandoval

Other Headlines