How Manchester Metropolitan University achieved 80% staff engagement 

Manchester Metropolitan University is one of the of the largest and most popular Universities in the UK, with around 40,000 students and 5,000 colleagues. They have a dual commitment to outstanding research and practice-led education, working collaboratively to transform lives by driving innovation and progress. 

A key driver of Manchester Metropolitan University’s success is its ongoing commitment to create a thriving, inclusive, high-performing culture.  In its 200th year, the university remains focused on improvement by creating an environment where we continue to attract the very best talent who go on to flourish, where colleagues are recognised and rewarded for the impact they’re making and where engagement and wellbeing thrive. This commitment is underpinned by their Great Place to Work strategy, which makes sure colleague voices are heard and acted upon, all the while keeping in mind the university’s purpose and strategic direction. 

Before partnering with People Insight, Manchester Metropolitan University used quarterly pulse surveys to check in with colleagues — something that was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, these surveys provided valuable insight into wellbeing, but by late 2021, it appeared that the strategy was losing effectiveness. Response rates had dropped to around 40%, with the last pulse survey yielding only a 43% response. Teams and leaders alike began to experience “survey fatigue,” which significantly impacted participation. 

Leaders found it increasingly difficult to make time to analyse results and create meaningful action plans in between pulses, which led to stagnating engagement levels. There were also concerns about the confidentiality of the surveys, causing colleagues to hesitate in providing honest feedback. What’s more, the manual nature of survey administration and analysis, which relied on Microsoft Forms and Power BI, placed a heavy resource burden on Manchester Metropolitan University’s teams. All of this prompted a change of approach and direction for employee listening. 

The team at Manchester Metropolitan University spoke with us about their employee listening experience and successes in a Learn & Share. Watch the webinar below.

In 2022, Manchester Metropolitan University partnered with People Insight to revamp their strategy and improve two-way communication, engagement levels and confidence in the employee listening process. People Insight was selected to deliver and analyse future surveys, allowing Manchester Metropolitan University to focus more on the quality of insights and subsequent response, and less on logistics. 

Our platform here at People Insight offered advanced data collection methods and stronger confidentiality measures, addressing a key concern from previous surveys. This new approach allowed Manchester Metropolitan University to reset its strategy, incorporating feedback into its communications and setting clear expectations for leaders regarding their role in engaging with staff input. By November 2022, Manchester Metropolitan University saw a notable improvement, with a 67% response rate, a considerable increase from the previous years’ surveys. 

Since partnering with People Insight, Manchester Metropolitan University has made significant strides in re-engaging its teams. The November 2022 survey saw a jump in response rates to 67% and engagement scores have continued to rise. The university focused heavily on transparency, ensuring that colleagues were kept informed of the results and the changes being made based on their feedback. 

Manchester Metropolitan University celebrated successes openly while acknowledging areas for improvement, creating an atmosphere where colleagues felt their voices were heard and acted upon. Leaders worked closely with colleagues to identify challenges, and feedback was consistently linked to tangible outcomes, reinforcing the connection between input and institutional actions. 

By consistently communicating the impact of colleague voices, Manchester Metropolitan University cultivated a culture of trust, accountability and collaboration that has driven continued engagement growth. 

Senior leaders at Manchester Metropolitan University were key to the success of the new colleague engagement strategy. Leaders were encouraged to take ownership of the survey results and were equipped with the tools and support needed to drive change within their teams. Leaders were given access to their own People Insight dashboards to empower local areas to view their insights and support with the post survey action planning.  With guidance from People Insight and the University’s Employee Engagement team, Manchester Metropolitan University’s leadership team gained access to detailed insights about their departments, allowing them to make data-driven decisions. 

Leaders were guided through the People Insight dashboard and provided with bespoke toolkits that included guidance on sharing results with their teams, as well facilitation plans, conversation prompts and templates to support the action planning process. As well as addressing challenges, they were also encouraged to continue to focus on key areas of strength, when it came to prioritising actions where the biggest impact could be made. Senior leaders’ involvement was incredibly important when it came to demonstrating to teams that engagement and improvement were top priorities. 

Manchester Metropolitan University recognised that trying to address every concern simultaneously would be ineffective, frustrating and, most importantly, impossible. Instead, they adopted a focused, staggered approach, prioritising three key areas based on feedback: Ways of Working, their Road to 2030 strategy and reward, recognition and wellbeing. In focusing on these areas, Manchester Metropolitan were able to create a more flexible and supportive workplace, streamline internal systems and processes, involve employees in strategic discussions and improve both financial and non-financial recognition for staff, addressing their need to feel valued.  

By February 2024, Manchester Metropolitan University‘s new employee listening strategy had delivered impressive results. The response rate increased to 70%, with an overall engagement rate of 80%, marking a 6-percentage point increase compared to the previous survey. The advocacy rate (staff who would recommend Manchester Metropolitan University as a good employer) also saw an 11-point rise, reaching 76%. All of this earned Manchester Metropolitan University a 2024 Higher Education Outstanding Workplace Award. Across all survey themes, Manchester Metropolitan University saw an improvement of at least four percentage points, demonstrating that their targeted actions were aligned with colleague priorities and driving real cultural change.  

Manchester Metropolitan is now looking ahead with a focus on continuing to shape its future using employee voices. The university’s approach is further guided by three key recommendations for future success:  

1. Communication, communication, communication: The university emphasises the importance of continually linking actions back to colleague feedback, making sure they can see how their input has influenced decisions and actions. 
2. Empower managers: Manchester Met found that empowering managers with responsibility and accountability for their team’s engagement (supported with the right tools, resources and support) helped to drive colleague engagement at a local level, so equipping them to take meaningful action within their teams is essential to their approach.
3. Involve senior leadership: Manchester Met highlighted the importance of taking senior leaders on the engagement journey. Engaging leadership in employee listening and ensuring their priorities align with staff feedback has been, and will continue to be, key to maintaining accountability and making sure that actions are taken across the organisation.

With these strategies in place, Manchester Metropolitan is poised to progress while continuing to build an outstanding workplace culture