FSA Baseline Survey FAQ – 2019

The full survey will be open from May 17, 2019 until 11:59pm, Sunday, June 16, 2019.

The survey is open to all FSA Members. FSA members include faculty and technical staff in BCIT technology programs, Applied Research, Learning and Technology Services (includes ITS), and Student Services, those employed on PTS contracts as instructors, administrators, and curriculum developers as well as markers and student employees.

• To establish a baseline for collecting information from FSA members to enhance and provide direction for the work of the FSA.
• To establish a set of metrics for long-range comparisons.
• To act as a tool for strategic planning.
• To inform FSA work plans.

We did this survey for the first time in 2017 and set a schedule to do it every two years. This regularity allows the FSA to use the results in our strategic planning as well as in reviews of our operational services. It also allows us to compare data from survey to survey and identify trends over time. It was decided not to do the survey annually to allow time for changes to be implemented as well as to decrease survey fatigue for FSA members.

The initial results will be reviewed by FSA staff. Initial analysis for the purpose of reporting out will be done by a working group of FSA staff and board members. We are aiming to have an initial report out in the fall of 2019. As in 2017, the survey results and report will be posted in the Member Portal of the FSA website. The results will be used by the FSA in its future strategic planning, by FSA staff to improve our work if necessary, and by FSA members to guide discussions of key issue faced by the union. Some findings may be reported publically to advance the interests of FSA members.

BCIT management will not have access to the raw data or individual responses. We expect to be able to use the aggregated results to improve our representation and advocacy when meeting with management. In doing so, we will ensure that the information shared does not lead to the identification of specific members.  The analysis and reporting provided to members will initially be shared with our Board, Tech Reps, and in the Member Portal section of our website. While those are all member-only forums we cannot guarantee that no one will share that with someone outside the FSA unit. These reports will not include identifying information.

The survey is your opportunity to share feedback anonymously on your experience as an FSA member. Survey results will be used to help the FSA:

• Know more about FSA members
• Know what’s important to FSA members
• Find out how we are doing
• Collect information from members about our work

Many of you will have participated in surveys that seem to have had no impact. As a democratic organization, running this survey on a recurring basis and making the results available to members will allow you and your FSA colleagues to hold the FSA leadership accountable for acting on the information you provide.

We really appreciated the time folks took to respond to the 2017 survey. A working group of FSA staff and board members reviewed the initial raw data and developed a fulsome report that was presented to FSA membership at the January 2018 general meeting and was posted on our website (member login required).

The report included the following actions and we have included here a status update of each one.

2017 Actions & Status Updates

1. Using the results to:
   • Prepare for the next round of bargaining (Currently in use)
   • Inform the current review of representation and advocacy operations (Informed the development of a proposal for a review of our labour relations work, currently on hold due to staff on leave)
   • Inform the next strategic planning cycle (Coming up for next strategic plan)
2. Sharing more stories about the FSA’s work, particularly focusing on the results of our labour relations work so that members can see outcomes (Used and continue to utilize)
3. Planning for a 2019 baseline survey:
   • Setting desired trends and targets, where appropriate (Complete)
   • Incorporating suggested edits into the next iteration of the survey (Complete)
4. Referring specific issues and concerns to those within the FSA best able to address them. (Complete)

Offering incentives increases response rates. A higher response rate means more reliable information to base decisions on. Incentives also recognize that the time you take to do this survey is valued.

At the end of the baseline survey you will be redirected to a new survey and offered a chance to enter the draw. You do not need to enter unless you want to be in the draw. The two surveys are completely separate from each other so entering your contact information for the draws will not link you to your baseline survey answers.

We will draw for a $100 VISA gift card each of the four weeks that the survey is open. Once the survey is closed, we will do a final draw for an iPad.

Once you win a draw you will not be entered for any subsequent draws.

No. A few questions are required because they are needed to help us analyze other responses and provide clearer direction on important matters. If you are not comfortable answering these questions, you may choose to exit the survey and none of your responses will be submitted. If you feel uncomfortable answering any optional question, you are free to skip that question and move on to the next.

The survey should take 15 minutes to complete. While Survey Monkey does not offer a ‘save and complete’ later option you can always take breaks during the survey. The best option is to finish a page and hit ‘next’ to make sure all the responses on that page are complete. No responses will be submitted until you reach the end of the survey and hit ‘done’.

You will receive an email providing an access link on May 17, 2019. The email will come from Survey Monkey and the link generated will be specific to your email address.

If you do not receive an email on May 17^th please first check your spam folder/settings to see if the email was caught. If you still don’t have the email, you can then contact the FSA and we will ensure you are able to complete the survey. The settings have been configured to not collect IP addresses in the survey results therefore increasing the confidentiality of the responses.

The survey platform, Survey Monkey, also has a privacy policy for anyone who wishes to review it.

You will not be asked to provide your name or any individual identifying information as part of the survey. There is a possibility that you could be identified from your responses depending on the information that you choose to provide in comments/open-ended questions. We encourage you not to share specific names in your comments if possible.

We recognize that, with an increasingly diverse workforce, understanding the opinions of different segments of our member population may assist us in becoming a more inclusive, representative and stronger union. The FSA is also bound by the Human Rights legislation in BC and we want to ensure we take this obligation seriously.  This question is not for the purpose of identifying individuals but to ensure that the FSA is treating all members as we must.

The survey will close on Sunday, June 16, 2019 at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.

For any questions or concerns please contact Kyla Epstein, Member Engagement Officer – kepstein@bcit.ca or 604.432.8569. If you don’t feel comfortable contacting Kyla, you can contact Jude Morrison, Executive Director – jmorrison122@bcit.ca or 604.432.8696.