Aarhus University Seal / Aarhus Universitets segl

Psychological WPA questionnaire in week 9 (29 February to 4 March)

On 29 February, all members of AU staff will receive an email with a link to the psychological WPA 2016 questionnaire survey. The questionnaire will contain several AU-specific questions and 5-8 faculty-specific/administration-specific questions.

2016.02.25 | Signe Opstrup

Basically, the psychological work environment is about how AU employees feel when they are at work. Are you thriving and do you take pleasure in your work? As a member of AU staff, you help to create the best framework for a good place to work when you fill in the psychological WPA questionnaire. The WPA will map out employee well-being at AU and show where the work environment can be improved through AU-wide and local initiatives

Follow-up through dialog

A crucial part of the psychological WPA process is the local follow-up process based on the results of the survey. The follow-up process will be based on a cooperation between the local management, the local occupational health and safety committee (LAMU) and the local liaison committee (LSU). In some areas, the head of department (Aarhus BSS, HE, ST)/head of school (Arts) will initiate the follow-up process. In other areas, it will be the head of the section/unit.

The Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee (HAMU) and the Main Liaison Committee (HSU) have been involved in the design of the survey and want to use the psychological WPA 2016 to put extra focus on further local follow-up through dialogues with staff.

Therefore, this year’s anonymous survey is designed as a purely quantitative survey, in which members of staff will receive a number of questions under the headings: well-being, management, working hours and overall assessment of your work –  without the possibility of adding comments at the end of the questionnaire. This is done partly because the responses to the questionnaire are anonymous, and it is therefore difficult to follow up on comments written in the questionnaire, and partly because HAMU and HSU after careful consideration have assessed that it is best that matters are discussed in the units to ensure that any issues are addressed by specific initiatives.

Therefore, each employee is encouraged to express her/his thoughts and experience of the psychological work environment together with her/his colleagues at local dialogue meetings which will be held immediately after the results are published.

The questionnaire survey period runs from 29 February to 18 March 2016, and the reports will be published in week 20 (16 May to 20 May).

Further information

Read more about the psychological WPA 2015/2016.

Facts about the psychological WPA

  • The psychological WPA is required by law and is an anonymous questionnaire survey of the psychological work environment at AU which is carried out every three years.
  • In the survey, the employee is asked a number of questions under the headings: well-being, management, working hours and overall assessment of your work.
  • In addition to the AU-specific questions, the four faculties and the administration have been involved in the design of the survey by selecting five to eight qualitative faculty-specific/administration-specific questions.
  • Based on HSU/HAMU’s decision, this year’s questionnaire is based on the questionnaire from 2012 with relevant updates. This is done to be able to compare and follow the development in the work environment at AU.
  • The questionnaire was adjusted in cooperation with the psychological WPA advisory group and sent to the faculties and the administration for consultation in autumn 2015.    
Administrative, All groups, All AU units, Aarhus University, Administrative