Quality Workforce
Listening to Our Employees
Employee feedback is gathered regularly to assist and inform local and corporate leaders. In 2008, we conducted a sample survey with a cross-section of employees. Sixty-nine percent responded to the survey, exceeding the 65 percent return rate for companies Duke Energy benchmarks against. Among the key findings:
- Employee understanding of the company’s strategy, goals and direction increased eight percentage points from 2007. This was an area of management attention from last year’s survey.
- Seventy-six percent of the respondents expressed a sense of commitment to Duke Energy, up six percentage points from 2007.
- Compared to 2007, more employees felt confident in the ability of senior management to make the “decisions necessary to ensure the future success of Duke Energy.”
- Compensation and rewards are areas for improvement, according to those who responded to the survey.
- For the first time, the 2008 survey probed employee perceptions of Duke Energy’s performance in sustainability. More than two-thirds of the respondents agreed that the company is working hard to “strike the right balance between economic, environmental and social factors influencing our business.”
Company leaders regularly meet with employees to update them on company performance and answer questions. These “Open Forums” are held in various company locations and typically include call-in capabilities to broaden employee participation.
In 2008, Jim Turner, president and chief operating officer of U.S. Franchised Electric and Gas, visited with more than 5,000 employees at various locations and power plants to talk about the company’s goals and values and listen to employee concerns. To continue the dialogue, he started an internal blog covering topics such as climate change, safety, storm response and employee development.
