An anonymous survey shows high and rising levels of overall job satisfaction among staff at the Otago Museum, but long-standing concerns about some below-market salaries seem to remain.
The survey, involving 39 museum staff and undertaken via the internet, amounted to a "fantastic" result for the museum, with responses more favourable than in a survey last year, museum chief executive Shimrath Paul said yesterday.
Survey results were tabled at yesterday's Otago Museum Trust Board meeting.
The survey was undertaken by Quintessential Marketing Consulting Pty Ltd, an Australian human resource research specialist firm, using PeoplePulse survey software, and cost about $5000, museum officials said.
Thirty-seven staff (about 95% of staff surveyed) agreed the museum was "a good organisation to work for", with only two people (5%) undecided and no-one disagreeing.
These results were well ahead of last year's comparable PeoplePulse survey figures, which showed 81.5% agreement (31 staff), 15.8% undecided (6) and one person disagreeing.
This year, about 97% of staff were either very satisfied (24 staff; 61.5%) or satisfied (14; 35.9%) with working at the museum, well up from about 81% last year.
More than 97% of participants also agreed the museum cared about "delivering a quality outcome to our community" and more than 92% believed there was "a spirit of co-operation" at work, that they were being treated fairly, and liked the people they worked with.
There was 63% agreement that staffing levels were "adequate to meet quality outcomes" and about 50% agreement that their remuneration packages were "in line with current market rates", the latter up from about 37% last year.
Otago Museum managers have long maintained the museum is somewhat understaffed, being a large institution charged with safeguarding internationally significant collections.
Museum administrators have also long voiced concern about a "salary gap" between some museum staff incomes and market rates.
Museum experience and development director Clare Wilson said the survey results involving both staffing levels and market-related salaries had "improved markedly" since 2011.
The more favourable survey results had reflected active steps by the museum, including to "address a long-proven remuneration gap".
