Exit Surveys for the Department of Aging and Disability Services

Researcher(s):
Noel Landuyt, PhD, Associate Director
Maya Williams, Graduate Research Assistant
Taaj Sheikh, Graduate Research Assistant
Nawal Traish, Graduate Research Assistant
Miriam Castro, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Breonna Copeland, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Nicole Duson, Systems Analyst
Yahaira P. Morales Castro, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Client(s): Texas Department for Aging and Disability Services

Project Categories/Tags:
Employee Engagement
Employee Satisfaction
Employee Turnover
Employee Retention

Description:
The Institute for Organizational Excellence regularly conducts surveys on employees exiting from the Department for Aging and Disability Services in order to provide the Department’s leadership with feedback to improve retention and employee satisfaction. Surveys are conducted via telephone, hard copy, and online. The surveys ask about employees’ key reasons for leaving, including retirement, working conditions, salary/benefits, inadequate training, and other job opportunities, among others. Exiting employees are asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of their former jobs at DADS, including feedback, management, grievance resolution, teamwork, fulfillment of career goals, and the resources available to help employees do their jobs. The survey also examined aggregate feedback for each of the 12 State Supported Living Centers (SSLCs) in Texas, as well as for key positions in DADS, including nurses, direct support professionals, food service workers, access and intake, and regulatory services.

Notable Findings:

  • After leaving their position at DADS, over half reported leaving the human services sector altogether.
  • Among the 12 SSLCs, employees were least satisfied with management’s encouragement of their feedback and suggestions, and most satisfied with the resources and tools they had to perform their tasks.
  • SSLC respondents were generally neutral on whether they would recommend DADS to others as a good place to work.
  • Among the benefits employees leaving DADS were offered in new sites of employment, a change of work environment was most popular among all respondents. This benefit was followed by higher salary and more schedule flexibility.