Results WPD employee survey has been released

An anonymous poll of 72 Williston Police Department personnel was performed last October, and it gives insights into employee sentiments, which reflect workplace trends seen nationwide in any firm with an established hierarchy.

Along with the survey, employees were also allowed to submit comments on each question submitted. The comments were as varied as the polls but were not required and sometimes resulted in only half of the respondents submitting.

While the individual anonymous insight is valid and important to the city, there was not enough information in the data to form anything besides anecdotal conclusions.

The breakdown of responses and survey results seems to reflect the majority of issues employees have in businesses around the nation that have any significant staff pool.

Of those who did submit further information, there were some common through lines that employees brought up:

• Employee ideas should be listened to more and implemented by leadership
• Staff shortages
• New hires are lured in with more lucrative packages than older hires
• Departmental politics get in the way of the job effectively being done
• Interpersonal issues and the perception of favoritism in promotions

A breakdown of the poll questions and responses:

According to the study, the majority of department employees feel valued and respected, with 18 saying they always feel valued and respected, 19 saying frequently, and 28 saying occasionally.

However, six people stated that they rarely feel respected. Leadership perceptions were divided in the department: 11 felt always valued by leadership, 21 usually, 20 sometimes, 15 seldom, and four never.

Morale varied greatly, with only six rated as high, 17 above average, and 23 average, with 18 responding low and 7 responding very low. Leadership, coworker connections, and compensation came in as the factors that most impacted morale.

Disciplinary fairness also garnered a wide range of responses: seven believed it was always fair, 13 regularly, 25 occasionally, 15 seldom, and nine never. The majority felt comfortable confessing faults to supervisors, but 19 reported feeling rarely or never comfortable voicing their opinions.

While 41 respondents are satisfied with their compensation, 20 are dissatisfied. Employees thought that support across the department was generally positive, with 13 feeling unsupported.

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As mentioned up top, the numbers reflected in the WPD are on par with overall workplace satisfaction nationally.  According to a survey run by Conference Board, overall US worker satisfaction comes in at 62.3%. That number is the highest percentage recorded by the survey, which has been run since 1987.