Special Surveys
Employer of Choice Maturity Index
Higher ed institutions strive to be employers of choice — creating the culture and physical environment that attracts and retains talented individuals. In this endeavor, which policies and practices are making the biggest impact and which are in need of improvement? That’s what the Employer of Choice Maturity Index is designed to help you figure out.
This tool helps you, your HR team, and other campus leaders — anyone who has a vested interest in recruiting and retaining employees and has knowledge of the policies and practices that impact the workforce — assess your institution on the factors that underlie your ability to attract the best candidates and keep them wanting to show up for work — physically and mentally.
What Factors Underlie an Employer of Choice?
CUPA-HR has derived 6 factors that determine whether an institution is an employer of choice:
- Recruitment
- Recognition and Assessment
- Development, Advancement, and Pay
- Employee Experience
- Leadership
- Benefits
These factors align with results from our Employee Retention Survey. CUPA-HR then solicited feedback from leaders with experience and expertise in higher ed HR to inform us as to which policies and practices aid in recruiting and retaining top talent. This index is based on that input.
How Does It Work?
The maturity index is an assessment tool. For each factor, you will answer questions that place your policies and practices on a continuum, and at the end of the assessment, you will receive scores based on your responses. Lower scores indicate areas for improvement. Higher scores indicate areas of strength.
Use the scores to:
- Launch discussions
- Set a baseline for comparison when you take the assessment at a later date
- Prioritize policies and practices that need attention
- Identify strengths you can highlight in recruitment and retention efforts
You and other institutional leaders can complete the assessment as often as needed. It should take about 20 minutes to complete.
Who Should Complete the Assessment?
This index should be completed by higher ed leaders with knowledge of the policies and practices that affect their institution’s workforce. This usually includes individuals in HR or campus leaders who supervise staff. You may have multiple leaders take the assessment separately and then use any differences in results as a starting point for a larger conversation. This is encouraged, as it will help you build consensus in these efforts. This is not a climate survey, in that the index is not designed to take the pulse of the entire workforce. Rather the index assesses systemic efforts, so only the individuals identified above should complete the assessment.
Is There a Fee?
No. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsor, Segal, the maturity index is free to use.
Is It Confidential?
Yes! The scores you obtain on this index, as well as your responses, are confidential. Neither your name nor your institution’s name will be associated with your data in any reporting.
Are you ready to learn more?
Help us improve the index. Please email your feedback to [email protected].
Read our full research disclaimer and terms of use.