Impact
1. Why is the activity study mandatory?
Leadership has made this assessment mandatory so they can obtain a comprehensive view of activity within the organization. We are working to gain a holistic view of administrative activities at University of Nebraska Lincoln.
2. How will unl use the information from this assessment?
The Activity Study will provide leadership with a broad view of administrative operations to understand how we can leverage the talent and resources we have today to better support the university and its missions of education, research, and service. Leadership will aggregate the assessment responses to inform next steps in for the service delivery initiative. Individual results will not be made publicly available.
3. I am having technical difficulties or accidentally submitted by assessment, who do I contact?
Please reach out to the project team (servicedeliveryinitiative@unl.edu) and detail what technical issues you are experiencing. We will reach out to you as soon as possible.
Process
1. How long will it take to complete the activity study?
The Activity Study should take, on average, 30 minutes to complete but could take longer depending on the complexity of the respondent’s job duties and functions. Preparing in advance by reviewing the materials provided (e.g. Activity Study Catalog) will help reduce the amount of time it takes to complete the online assessment.
2. What if I want to come back to the assessment or change my repsonse later?
Your assessment link will remain open until the close date communicated in the assessment announcement email; your assessment will not be finalized until you click “submit.” Therefore, you may save your responses and come back to the assessment by clicking your original link at any point until you either click “submit” or the set deadline is reached. However, we recommend you take the assessment in a single sitting. If you submitted your assessment and want to have it re-opened during the response period, simply email the project team at servicedeliveryinitiative@unl.edu and they can re-open your assessment.
3. What if I cannot remember everything I do throughout the year?
That’s ok – the assessment is trying to capture your activities throughout the year to the best of your ability. We recognize this is a challenge as certain activities often have different levels of importance throughout the year. We recommend that you spend time reflecting on your annual duties before you begin the assessment. Sometime using prompts like a calendar can help jog your memory as to what you spend time on during the year.
4. If I work more than 40 hours a week, how should I repsond to the activity study?
You will be asked to estimate your average hours worked per week as part of the assessment. You will then be able to provide a more detailed breakdown of functions and activities performed, either in percentage format or hours.
5. What if I do work for other departments? Should I allocate that time in the activity study as well?
Yes. You should allocate all administrative and other time performed as part of your employment with UNL, regardless of which department it is performed. The Activity Study is an accounting of how you spend time on in-scope functions and activities. It does not consider what units, departments, or groups for which it is done.
6. Can I allocate less than 1% of time or less than 1 hour on average per week to an activity on the activity study?
Yes. You can allocate fractions of percentages or hours on the Activity Study. This will likely be the case when you describe activities that you only do for a short time over the course of a year. For example, you may only perform end of year close-out activities for a couple of weeks per year. Taken over the course of a year’s time, that may result in a fractional percentage amount when you estimate an average week.
7. Can I start and stop the assessment?
Yes. You will be able to save your progress and come back to the assessment later. You can also move freely through the assessment as needed. This said, we encourage respondents to try and complete the assessment in a single sitting and we prefer the assessment is taken at your primary desk if possible.
8. Can I update the department or supervisor listed on the activity study when I receive it?
Yes. If the department you are in or your supervisor listed is incorrect, you can update that information directly in the assessment when you receive it.
9. How do I account for the time I spend teaching, researching?
At the beginning of the Activity Study, you will be asked to indicate whether you spend any time teaching students for credit of performing research. If you indicated “yes”, you will then be able to note how many hours or what percentage of time you spend doing so. However, since the Study is designed to gather information about administrative activities specifically, you will not be asked to provide any further detail regarding teaching or research.
10. What should I do if I just started in a new role?
Participants should estimate time spent on various activities in their current role, even if it is new. For individuals who are newer to their roles, we recommend that they refer to their position description and related onboarding materials, in addition to having conversations with their supervisors, to complete the assessment as best they can.
11. The assessment asks me to verify my supervisor. The supervisor position in my area is currently vacant, what should I do?
Unless otherwise assigned, employees should go up the leadership chain in their organization (i.e., input the name of their supervisor’s supervisor).
12. Why is my supervisor reviewing my assessment responses?
To validate submissions, supervisors will review their direct reports’ responses. This will have no relation to employee performance or annual evaluations; rather, it will ensure a second set of eyes can review responses. Note: a comparative analysis of responses before and after the supervisor review period is conducted to monitor process/data integrity and to encourage accurate reporting (from both a respondent and supervisor perspective). Instances of large discrepancies between respondent and supervisor feedback may warrant follow-up outreach to assess underlying drivers of material inconsistent results.
13. Will employees receive a notification if their submission is modified by their supervisor?
During the supervisor review and validation period, the supervisor may change the responses of their employees. Employees will not receive a notification if a supervisor makes changes, but they will be given view-only access to their report in the Supervisor Review Application while the supervisor review period is open. To avoid confusion regarding supervisor changes, we strongly encourage supervisors to talk with their employees about their submissions before the employees begin the online assessment. If the supervisor decides to make changes, they should talk with the employee about it before editing it in the system.
14. If I don’t see my job activities listed on the tool can I upload additional documents?
The Assessment tool does not allow for attachments. There is an opportunity to enter “Other” activities throughout the assessment, although it is intended only as a last resort. The details in the catalog are intended to help define the Activity (Blue rows in the Catalog) to which employees map their time; they are not intended to be an exhaustive list of specific tasks/duties. Participants should do their best to map to the available Activities (Blue rows).
15. Is the survey accessible to someone who has low vision and uses assistive technology to navigate the web?
Qualtrics and the content in the Activity Study is generally compatible with most screen readers (e.g., Jaws).