February 2, 2012
[Update as of 2/29/2012: Final email reminder for the "Best Places to Work in the SF Bay Area" sent today from UHR Communications. If you've already voted, thank you and we look forward to reporting the results from both winter quarter contests!]
[Update as of 02/14/2012: Two email invitations have gone out to staff members who meet contest organizer eligibility requirements. The “Top Workplaces Bay Area” was sent Feb. 9 from ‘Workplace Survey’ and the “Best Places to Work in the SF Bay Area” email was sent Feb. 13 from ‘UHR Communications’; both emails included links to contest surveys. If you haven’t participated yet, please check your inbox. A special thanks to those staff who have already voted!]
Original Article:
Stanford University is widely recognized as one of the world's leading teaching and research institutions. It counts on a world-class faculty, and highly-performing staff to advance its noble mission. So why shouldn’t we also be recognized as a premier place to work?
Leaders in the Human Resources community think we should and have set out to distinguish Stanford as one of the 2012 top employers in the Bay Area and beyond. But to achieve the distinction, Stanford employees are needed to share their views – through online, confidential surveys – about what it’s like to work at the university.
During the next few weeks, Stanford will participate in two best workplace contests that aim to bring more recognition to Stanford as an elite employer. The contests are:
- Top Workplaces in the Bay Area sponsored by the Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune and San Jose Mercury News and conducted by third party Workplace Dynamics
- Best Places to Work in the Bay Area sponsored by the San Francisco Business Times and Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and conducted by third party Quantum Workplace
Both contests require a certain percentage of Stanford staff members complete an online survey. Responses are anonymous and participants’ identities are confidential. Survey questions focus on employees’ satisfaction levels regarding the work they do, their relationships with their colleagues and supervisors, their work environment, and the recognition they receive for their contributions.
Staff employees who are eligible to complete the surveys will receive personal emails with a link to the survey questions inviting them to participate. Eligibility is determined by the survey sponsors, not by Stanford; neither survey allows for participation by staff currently in their trial period, temporary staff or faculty members.
All eligible employees are encouraged to participate for the purpose of not only gaining recognition for the university, but also to help leaders better understand how Stanford can improve its day-to-day operations and workplace environment to enrich employees’ work experience.
“Through participation in these contests, our goal is twofold: to enhance Stanford’s reputation as an employer of choice both nationally and locally; and, to identify areas where we can strengthen the university’s commitment to being a premier place to work for our current and future employees,” said David Jones, Vice President of University Human Resources.
Both regional contests are part of a larger national process and will reveal results in the spring. Winners for the 2011 Top Workplaces in the Bay Area included Citrix Systems Inc., the Container Store, Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, and Quest Diagnostics. There were no higher education institution winners in the 2011 Top Workplaces regional contest. Winners for the 2011 Best Places to Work in the Bay Area included Intuit Inc., Juniper Networks, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, and Santa Clara University.
“We are hopeful the results of the upcoming contests will represent a formal recognition of Stanford’s standing as a stellar employer in Silicon Valley and beyond,” said Jones, who joined Stanford in 2007 after working at a half dozen other employers including Harvard, Georgetown and Howard universities. “Stanford is certainly among the finest places I’ve ever worked and I am confident many employees share that same sentiment.”
Survey results will be reported to the Stanford community in the spring through various channels, including on the HR website.
How do I participate?
Staff members who meet eligibility that the contest organizers have set will receive two separate email invitations. Review these Frequently Asked Questions.
Why do you think Stanford is a premier place to work?
Email us your thoughts at hrinitiatives@stanford.edu. Feedback will be used as we develop new recruitment material aimed at attracting top talent to Stanford.
What Sets Stanford Apart? Two Staffers Share Their Thoughts
Jill Nomura, student services specialist in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department who has worked at Stanford since 1990, said one of the best features of working at Stanford is employees’ extraordinary commitment to teamwork. “If you enjoy working in a collaborative environment where great things are happening, this is the place,” she said. Another source of job satisfaction for Jill is working with students. “The students are without question one of the greatest aspects about working at Stanford,” she said. “They are exceptionally bright and extraordinarily appreciative of faculty and staff … they are why we are here.”
For Victor Madrigal, Alumni and Student Class Outreach Senior Manager at the Stanford Alumni Association, the intense intellectual energy at all levels makes working at Stanford uniquely exciting. “If I had the time, I could go to a symposium, a lecture, a concert, or a brown-bag lunch literally every day,” said Madrigal, who graduated from Stanford in ’95 and began working for the university the same year. “We may not have free food like at Google, but the talent we have here is incredible.”