MAKING THE MOST OF IT

The Faculty Senate at Southeast Missouri State University recently surveyed faculty attitudes. Two hundred thirty-two faculty members responded, or 64 percent of the school's teachers.

For the most part, university teachers were pleased with their jobs, but the administration scored low.

That isn't really surprising. Many workers express dissatisfaction with their bosses, their level of appreciation or their rate of pay. And across the nation, college teachers tend to gripe about their administrators.

But that doesn't mean the administration should dismiss the survey results.

Many companies use attitude surveys to build worker understanding. Individual and group meetings that result from a properly administered attitude survey often lead to an increased level of communication between management and employees. Such interaction gives superiors an opportunity to explain problems they face. It also builds a perception that supervisors both listen and care about employees.

This faculty survey could be an important management tool that the administration could use to its advantage.