El Camino employees raise concern over work environment at Academic Senate meeting

Faculty shared concerns over workplace treatment during the Campus Climate Survey presentation at the Academic Senate meeting on May 3.

The Campus Climate Survey results from the El Camino College students, faculty and staff as of 2021 were presented by Director of Research and Planning Viviana Unda.

The Campus Climate Survey data was from employees and students of El Camino College, most of which compared last year’s data to data from 2018.

The data showed both increases and decreases in data between these years. For example, Unda said that the data meant “very good news,” for students under the “Service to Students” slide where data showed increases in employees reporting that they were “prepared to address the needs of different students.”

However, there was one area where the data showed a decrease between 2018 and 2021 as well as employees in the presentation talking about their personal feelings on the subject, job satisfaction.

The page labeled “Work Environment” had a statement that said, “Job satisfaction is high but lower compared to 2018 (average decrease of 4%).”

Employees voiced concerns with emphasis on the data set that showed an 8% decrease of employees reporting a sense of being “valued as an individual.”

Behavioral and Social Sciences Division Senator Kristie Daniel-DiGregorio gave her views on the data presented.

.“I was just struck by some things…with the data around faculty there were sort of three areas that really jumped out at me, you know work-life balance,” Daniel-DiGregorio said. “Even though the conclusion was that, you know job satisfaction is high …. Because of the rates they’re at, that means that one-third of the faculty disagreed with those statements.”