Exit Survey

We asked for feedback, and here’s what we learned.

From August 2020 to December 2021, UC Davis received 31% of the 3,357 exit surveys sent to staff who separated from employment with campus or UC Davis Health. To encourage candid feedback, Gartner, a third party, ensured that feedback was entirely confidential.

Rate of Separation

Campus separation rate increased from 8.7% in calendar year 2020 to 11.7% in 2021. UC Davis Health separation rate increased from 8.3% in 2020 to 11.6% in 2021. Turnover increased from 2020 to 2021 by 34% for campus and 40% for Health.
Campus separation rate increased from 8.7% in calendar year 2020 to 11.7% in 2021. UC Davis Health separation rate increased from 8.3% in 2020 to 11.6% in 2021. Turnover increased from 2020 to 2021 by 34% for campus and 40% for Health.

Reasons for Leaving

  • Relocating  (Campus 10% | Health 12%)
  • Retiring  (Campus 18% | Health 18%)
  • Dissatisfied with work experience (Campus 19% | Health 21%)
  • Satisfied with work experience but
    received better job offer (Campus 22% | Health 17%)

At A Glance Favorability

"Would return to UCD in the future." 
  • 31% Likely
  • 21% Neutral 
  • 48% Unlikely
"Would recommend UCD to a friend or colleague as a great place to work." 
  • 36% Likely 
  • 25% Neutral 
  • 39% Unlikely 

Exit Survey Questions

- Did your manager take action to enhance your engagement while you were employed and to retain you prior to leaving?

- Select the top five organizational/ job characteristics that, if improved, may have prevented you from leaving University of California.

View all questions (.pdf)


- How likely is it that you would recommend University of California to a friend or colleague as a great place to work?

- Provide any comments about what brought you to your new organization.

For more information, check out the Complete 2021 Exit Survey Results

Look forward to the 2022 Exit Survey Results, which will be presented in April 2023.

  • Who is administering the exit survey?

  • Gartner administers this survey, known as “Departure View”. Gartner administers the survey at other UC locations and hundreds of organizations across the country. Participants are guaranteed data security and can remain anonymous when completing the survey.

    Human Resources will invite separating employees to participate in the survey via email, with a link to the exit survey maintained by Gartner. That email will be sent from exitsurveys@ucdavis.edu.

     

  • Will we complete exit surveys with involuntarily separated staff?

  • No, there are no plans to do so at present because there are other channels available for involuntarily separated staff to raise concerns about their employment, such as grievance and complaint processes.

  • Who will receive an exit survey?

  • Staff employees are invited to complete an exit survey when separating from employment. Staff who provide the standard two-week notice to their supervisor, will receive an email invitation with a link to the exit survey approximately ten days before their last day of employment. Those not receiving the survey include academics and student employees.

  • How will exit survey results be made available?

  • To promote workplace excellence, information from the exit survey will be shared annually so that data-driven improvements can be implemented across the Davis campus and Health. Central HR will receive reports from Gartner, after a sufficient number of responses are received to ensure confidentiality. Central HR will share aggregate data to reveal areas of opportunity and best practices along with trends over time. In addition to schools, colleges and divisions, Human Resources plans to partner with various groups in this effort, such as the HR Advisory Committee and partners across UC Davis (e.g., Staff Assembly, SDAAC, etc.).

    If an issue is reported that requires follow-up or investigation, HR will involve the appropriate offices. 

  • Will schools/colleges/divisions get to see their data/reports?

  • Yes. The information will only be provided to schools/colleges/divisions after a minimum number of responses are received, to preserve the confidentiality of the respondents. 

  • My department already does exit surveys, can we continue?

  • Yes. The intent is to supplement existing exit interviews or surveys. It is designed to provide a more holistic set of data and institutional insights across the Davis campus and Health.