Despite being unexpectedly sent home to work in March, preliminary remote work survey results show that Wayne State employees believe that the transition has been a good experience.

Human Resources distributed the survey at the end of May to all academic and non-academic staff and leaders. The response rate for both staff and leadership was a strong 71% and provides extensive information about what’s working — and what’s not — while working from home.

In addition to responses to 38 questions, the survey also gathered more than 7,000 lines of open-essay comments, resulting in four major themes:

• Broad campus support exists for a remote/flexible work policy
• Individuals have had a good experience working from home
• The two biggest challenges are related to equipment/technology/materials and communicating/connecting/building relationships
• Ongoing support is desired to address equipment needs and learning

“We are very thankful for everyone who took the time to complete the survey,” said Dawn Aziz, director of organization and employee development. “Once the results have been fully analyzed, we will use them to inform how to best help people today, how to help employees safely return to campus and how we might best implement a new blended work environment.”

A whopping 90% of staff said they feel connected to their teams and peers across campus while working remotely and even believe there are some advantages to it, including a lack of a commute, fewer interruptions and the ability to remain in a safe space. Staff also said they like the regular contact that leaders are providing, and some feel there is better communication than prior to the pandemic.

After pandemic restrictions are lifted, 59% of staff would like to work in a blended fashion, meaning from home and in the office. Thirty-eight percent of staff would like to work from home all of the time, while 3% do not want to work at home at all. Eighty percent of leaders said they were supportive of offering more remote work arrangements.

“These findings reinforce the interest level our employees have for this offering,” said Rob Miller, director of Client Services Human Resources for Region A. “We have taken these findings into consideration to develop our revised Flexible Work Arrangement Policy and related materials to support this offering. What we have learned about ourselves and others during this pandemic — as well as our own capabilities and resilience — is remarkable. These experiences can pay dividends in our work and personal lives. We look forward to our future return to campus and the potential for additional flexibility and choices on how we can perform our work in the new environment.”

The top challenges noted by staff and leaders fell primarily into two general areas: technology and communications.

Regarding technology, 73% of employees said they have the tools and equipment they need to work from home successfully. However, in addition to some lacking the necessary equipment, 11% struggled with inconsistent Wi-Fi and 6.8% with VPN issues.

While the vast majority of respondents said they feel connected to their peers, some challenges still exist regarding communications. The top issues for leaders included a loss of informal interactions and too many Zoom meetings. Some respondents reported a challenge maintaining work-life balance, including the fact that the home office is often located in the middle of high-traffic areas and a perception that there is always work to be done. Some staff also reported struggling with a loss of informal connections that they enjoy at the office, as well as childcare issues.

When asked what could help staff feel more connected, 44% said virtual social gatherings and team-building activities.

Given the survey results, it’s not surprising when asked about their interest in learning opportunities, 31% of respondents said technology (MS Teams, hosting webinars); 26% said wellness (mindfulness, life-work balance); and 23% said virtual meetings and collaboration.

Many resources already exist to address those issues. HR has developed comprehensive offerings to support employees’ physical, mental and financial well-being. The services provided through the Ulliance Employee Assistance Program are free, confidential and available to employees and their family members, including parents.

New programs are available in the Accelerate eLearning library that feature a variety of remote work-related learning and development resources. Log into Academica to find short e-courses, videos and books on working virtually, leading virtually, personal well-being and virtual productivity.

Leaders and staff can also participate in a series of webinars to explore virtual leadership best practices, join learning communities and receive coaching to support employee learning, sharing and application of new knowledge.