At TMOS, we believe the voices of our members are invaluable. This year, we have decided to conduct our culture survey every six months. This will allow us to measure and track progress with our various IDEA initiatives. We hope that the frequently run culture survey, along with our feedback form, available year-round, will provide us with a clear, ongoing picture of the general well-being of our Centre.
Both functions serve to create a culture of feedback, promoting transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
What We’re Doing Well
Diversity and Inclusion – Members not only understand the value of diversity and inclusion but also feel it is strongly considered in the Centre. This is reflected in the high percentage of members rating positively to statements such as “TMOS is a diverse and inclusive organization” and “TMOS celebrates diversity of ideas and people.”
Employee Experience – Many members indicated that working at the center is enjoyable and that everyone has equal opportunities for professional development, events, and training.
Leadership – Many members noted that their opinions are respected by their supervisors and that their supervisors genuinely listen to them.
Areas of Opportunity
Social Opportunities – Multiple comments in the culture survey highlighted a desire for more opportunities to gather both within and across nodes. The lack of social events may have contributed to some members feeling unable to be their authentic selves with their peers.
Leadership – While some members feel their opinions are respected by their supervisors, there is a desire for more regular and constructive feedback. Additionally, some members do not view their supervisors as good role models.
Communication – Our lowest-rated question in the survey pertained to communication within the Centre. Being geographically distributed makes communication more challenging, but it is not impossible to improve our communication channels. A similar number of members also indicated that they do not actively share information across the Centre, which compounds the issue.
We want to acknowledge that these points may not reflect everyone’s experience at the Centre. As we began considering how to improve our practices, we chose a holistic approach. We identified key focus areas while also recognising that even in areas where we are doing well, there is always room for improvement.
Recommended next steps
These actions have been recommended to the Centre Executive Leadership team and circulated across the Centre. Some actions have already taken place, while others sit with the TMOS members to initiate.
Social Opportunities
- Social Committee Formation: We propose establishing a social committee dedicated to organizing engaging events, such as team-building exercises and after-work gatherings. These events will help build stronger connections within and across nodes.
- Ongoing Feedback Mechanism: To ensure your voice is heard year-round, not just during culture surveys, we will introduce a feedback form. This will allow TMOS members to share suggestions or feedback at any time.
Enhancing Leadership
- Empathy and Inclusivity Training: Our leadership team regularly participates in leadership training. This year the team engaged in external training focused on cultivating empathy, understanding psychological safety, and leading with inclusivity.
- Regular Check-ins: We recommend routine node catch-ups and one-on-one meetings between Chief Investigators (CIs) and their teams to discuss general well-being and career progression.
Improving Communication
- Science Tuesday Updates: We suggest dedicating 5-10 minutes of Science Tuesday for center-wide updates.
- Node-specific Updates: Our internal newsletter, Spark! now includes node university and internal committee updates; this is to ensure everyone has greater visibility of activities across TMOS.
- Professional Development: Our Education and Professional development Committee arranges regular training for TMOS members. This year, training will include a professional development session for students and early career researchers which will include guidance on maximising skills for professional careers.