Upward Feedback FAQs

Q. What is Upward Feedback?

A. Upward Feedback is a developmental tool that provides supervisors feedback on their leadership behaviors from their direct reports. Annually, staff employees will voluntarily complete an online, anonymous and confidential questionnaire about specific leadership behaviors demonstrated by their supervisor.

Note: Employees will complete the survey for the individual who was identified as their supervisor of record as of Jan. 7, 2019.

Q. Why is WVU implementing the Upward Feedback process?

A. Through recent WVU Culture Surveys and Campus Conversations with faculty and staff, the Division of Talent and Culture recognizes many supervisors may not be aware of their individual strengths and opportunities for improvement as people-leaders. Our goal is to improve leadership capabilities among supervisors and align their behavior to the University’s core values of Service, Curiosity, Respect, Accountability and Appreciation.

 

Q. Who will complete the Upward Feedback questionnaire?

A. The questionnaire will be available to all full- and part-time WVU staff employees on all campuses, including WVU Potomac State and WVU Tech. Although completing the questionnaire is not required, participation in the Upward Feedback process is strongly encouraged. Faculty members who do not have staff positions reporting to them and medical/dental residents are excluded from the process because they have their own assessment tools.

 

Q . Is the feedback captured through the Upward Feedback process anonymous?

A. Yes. Under no circumstances will names or other identifying information be associated with the results. Supervisors also will not receive information about who completed the questionnaire.

 

Q. Will all supervisors be included in the Upward Feedback process, including faculty?

A: Yes. However, it should be noted that only faculty members who supervise staff positions will be included in the Upward Feedback process. Further, medical/dental residents will be excluded from the process.

 

Q.  How was the Upward Feedback questionnaire developed?

A. Based on feedback from faculty and staff through focus groups and campus conversations, the Division of Talent and Culture created the initial draft questionnaire. We then held a series of discussion workshops to gather additional input from a wide section of faculty and staff across the University to refine the document. The final version of the Upward Feedback questionnaire reflects input from approximately 200 supervisors and employees across more than 70 schools, divisions and departments.

 

Q. What topics does the Upward Feedback questionnaire include?

A. The questions are aligned to WVU’s values, performance elements and the WVU Employee Code of Conduct and are designed to assess a supervisor’s leadership strengths and potential developmental opportunities. The questionnaire includes the following statements:

• My supervisor is trustworthy.
• My supervisor appreciates my work.
  
• My supervisor behaves in a respectful manner.
  
• My supervisor communicates relevant information.
  
• My supervisor promotes a team-oriented workplace.
  
• My supervisor values my work-related ideas and opinions.
  
• My supervisor leads without favoritism.
  
• My supervisor is considerate of my work-life balance.
  
• My supervisor communicates clear expectations.
  
• My supervisor advocates for the tools and training I need to do my job.
  
• My supervisor provides useful feedback.
  
• My supervisor addresses my concerns in a timely manner.
  

 

Q. When will the Upward Feedback process be implemented at WVU?

A. The Upward Feedback process will roll out Monday, Jan. 14, and remain open through Sunday, Jan. 27.

 

Q. How will the Upward Feedback process work in the first year?

A.  Beginning Jan. 14, staff employees will receive a link to the Upward Feedback online questionnaire via an email from Employee Relations. The questionnaire only will be open for responses for a specified period of time. The Division of Talent and Culture will collect the feedback and produce a summary report of all responses. The results will be shared with WVU leadership and the broader University community. Individual reports to supervisors will not be provided in the first year of the program. However, in future years, supervisors with a designated number of direct reports/survey responses will receive a summary of the results within their specific area.




Q. Who will have access to the information provided by employees?

A. All responses will be confidentially maintained within the Division of Talent and Culture.




Q. Will the Upward Feedback results be used as part of WVU’s performance management process?

A. No. Upward Feedback is for developmental purposes only and is independent of WVU’s performance management process.

 

Q. What types of responses are available in the questionnaire?

A. To ensure confidentiality and anonymity, the Upward Feedback questionnaire will use a six-point Likert scale rating for each response (i.e., there are no open-ended questions).




Q.  How long will the questionnaire take to complete?

A. The Upward Feedback questionnaire includes 12 total questions and will take approximately five minutes to complete.




Additional Questions?  Contact Employee Relations at 304-293-5700 x5 or  EmployeeRelations@mail.wvu.edu.