Focus Areas and Recommendations

The focus areas and recommendations below reflect employee feedback gathered through the 2025 Employee Experience Survey and provide a roadmap for strengthening the employee experience across UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

How recommendations were developed

Following the survey:

Employees shared feedback about their workplace experiences through the Employee Experience Survey.
Managers and leaders reviewed local team results and discussed feedback with employees.
Employee Experience Advisory Committees reviewed organization-level survey findings, identified priority focus areas and developed recommendations based on employee feedback, potential impact and organizational feasibility.
Employee Experience Networks provided additional input and perspective from across the organization.
Leadership reviewed and approved the final focus areas and subsequent recommendations.

Davis Campus Recommendations

UC Davis Health Recommendations

Davis Campus

Focus Area	Recommendations
1. Equal opportunity for advancement Survey item: "All employees have an equal opportunity for promotion regardless of their background."	Increase education to staff, managers, and HR Business Partners on internal mobility and fair advancement practices. Assign all managers the HR L&OD course Developing and Retaining Talent to address support for staff
2. Inclusive culture Survey item: "This organization has an inclusive culture."	Recognize participation in inclusive culture and belonging programming as professional development and subject to professional development release time afforded by bargaining unit contract or policy (PPSM 50). Form a workgroup to further analyze inclusive culture, building on the survey responses to collect current qualitative data through focus groups and listening sessions.
3. Career development opportunities Survey Item: "This organization provides career development opportunities."	Engage with high-performing managers for career development, as identified in the survey data, to document best practices and implement them broadly across the organization. Prioritize participation in mentoring and job shadowing programs to strengthen learning and development, including recognition for program participants from senior leadership

Focus Area

Recommendations

1. Equal opportunity for advancement

Survey item: "All employees have an equal opportunity for promotion regardless of their background."

Increase education to staff, managers, and HR Business Partners on internal mobility and fair advancement practices.
Assign all managers the HR L&OD course Developing and Retaining Talent to address support for staff

2. Inclusive culture

Survey item: "This organization has an inclusive culture."

Recognize participation in inclusive culture and belonging programming as professional development and subject to professional development release time afforded by bargaining unit contract or policy (PPSM 50).
Form a workgroup to further analyze inclusive culture, building on the survey responses to collect current qualitative data through focus groups and listening sessions.

3. Career development opportunities

Survey Item: "This organization provides career development opportunities."

Engage with high-performing managers for career development, as identified in the survey data, to document best practices and implement them broadly across the organization.
Prioritize participation in mentoring and job shadowing programs to strengthen learning and development, including recognition for program participants from senior leadership

UC Davis Health

Focus Area	Recommendations
1. Confidence in senior leadership Survey item: "I have confidence in senior management's leadership."	Strengthen strategic communication from senior leadership through consistent use of a two-way message cascade model.
2. Patient safety culture Survey item: "Senior management promotes patient safety."	Invest in our Safety Culture through High Reliability Organization efforts, supporting both employee and patient experience and safety.
3. Work-life balance Survey Item: "This organization supports me in balancing my work and personal life."	Strengthen manager capability to foster work-life integration through structured listening sessions, analysis of relevant metrics and enablement resources and tools.

Focus Area

Recommendations

1. Confidence in senior leadership

Survey item: "I have confidence in senior management's leadership."

Strengthen strategic communication from senior leadership through consistent use of a two-way message cascade model.

2. Patient safety culture

Survey item: "Senior management promotes patient safety."

Invest in our Safety Culture through High Reliability Organization efforts, supporting both employee and patient experience and safety.

3. Work-life balance

Survey Item: "This organization supports me in balancing my work and personal life."

Strengthen manager capability to foster work-life integration through structured listening sessions, analysis of relevant metrics and enablement resources and tools.

Improving the employee experience is an ongoing effort. Progress and updates related to these focus areas and recommendations will continue to be shared as work moves forward across UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

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