BIDS Well-Being Survey Shows Improvements, More Work To Do
by Emily Barclay, Johnson County Public Defender & Jessica Glendening, Shawnee County Public Defender
In mid-June 2021, BIDS employees were emailed a survey to gauge well-being within the agency, and to see if and how employee well-being had changed since a similar survey was conducted in 2020. The results from these surveys are presented to the BIDS Board and help inform decisions made by the agency, including budgetary requests. We appreciate all the employees who took the time to respond to the survey and share honest feedback about their well-being.
To start off on a positive note, BIDS employees really enjoy working with each other. According to the survey, “good relationships with colleagues” was reported as one of the greatest positive impacts on well-being in our offices. Being a good co-worker and having good co-workers is literally good for our health, so keep it up!
The survey also confirmed what we all already know: That PDs are the coolest, or rather, that we have great office culture. Overall, 72% of BIDS employees scored their office culture positively. The survey showed an improved office culture from last year to this year.
But the survey also identified negative impacts on well-being that BIDS employees experience. While, in 2020, workload was the top negative issue for BIDS employees, this year’s main negative impact on well-being was undoubtedly poor pay and/or lack of a raise or promotion structure. Almost 45% of BIDS employees surveyed indicated that pay and lack of opportunity to advance is the biggest single issue negatively impacting well-being – a notable increase from the 22.3% of BIDS employees who chose pay as the biggest single issue in the 2020 survey.
The other reported negative impacts on well-being included workload, unfairness of the justice system, difficult interactions with clients, lack of technology, poor perception of public defenders, and lack of training. And, when asked what additional office supports they would request, BIDS employees’ top three answers reflected those concerns. They included technology, more attorneys or staff, and more training. Thankfully, the agency is already responding to the concern about lack of training, hiring the first agency-wide training director in October 2021 and creating a pilot program for an in-house training specialist in Salina.
Covid-19 was also addressed in the survey, but the results regarding changes from the pandemic were not all negative. For example, employees particularly welcomed the flexible schedule and the ability to work from home that came along with the pandemic.
Lastly, the survey asked a number of questions about employee retention issues. When employees were asked why they chose to work in a public defender office, the two most popular answers were that they believed in the work and they liked helping people. However, when asked if employees had thought about leaving in the last year, 62% responded that they have considered leaving. The top three reasons why were lack of pay/opportunities for advancement, compassion fatigue/burnout, and workload.
When asked if they saw themselves working as a public defender in Kansas in 10 years, 57% of respondents were unsure, 22% said they did, and 20% said they did not. Of those that were unsure or planned on leaving, the primary reason was – perhaps unsurprising given the answers to other questions in the survey – lack of pay increases or opportunities for advancement.
These survey results are an invaluable tool for the agency to identify critical improvement needs, advocate for adequate resources to meet those needs, and recognize opportunities for improving well-being throughout the agency. While these results demonstrate continued need for improvement, several positive changes have already come from the results of the first survey conducted in 2020, and the agency is working to advocate in the legislature and implement new ideas based on the responses to the 2021 survey. Your opinions are crucial to understanding and responding to the issues that impact us all. Thank you for taking the time to respond to the survey with candor. If you would like to see the full report on the well-being survey, you can find it here.