Effective and healthy organizations have long recognized the conventional wisdom that “the people make the place;” in other words, if we do not take care of our people, they cannot take care of our organizations or the animals. The Shelter Employee Engagement & Development Survey (SeeDS) attempts to capitalize on this wisdom.
SeeDS is an assessment tool designed to help private and public animal shelters run better by surveying employees and making specific recommendations based on the results.
Based on information from hundreds of shelters and thousands of their employees over the past 10 years, we have made some major changes and additions to our program, all while reducing costs.
The SDS (Shelter Diagnostic System) is now SeeDS (Shelter Employee Engagement & Development Survey) to reflect the new and improved selection of features designed to target employee development and growth. You can see for yourself what exciting changes we’ve made to the new SeeDS!
SeeDS does not evaluate all aspects of an organization (such as standard operating procedures or policies) but rather analyzes employee attitudes, perceptions, and opinions on key issues related to organizational health and well-being, such as: Peer Support, Euthanasia Practices, Communication Effectiveness, Employee Morale, Supervision, Job Stress, Teamwork, and Training.
SeeDS was developed using data collected from animal shelter staff across the country by a team of professors now at UNCC. These researchers have been investigating workplace issues among shelter employees since 2001. SeeDS combines current information from this research and practical experience from the sheltering field with extensive knowledge from the field of industrial-organizational psychology, which focuses on workplace health and effectiveness.
Who Can Participate?
SeeDS is designed for shelters with at least 10 part-time or full-time employees; this minimum number has been established to help protect the anonymity of respondents. SeeDS can be used in any public or private animal welfare organization or animal control agency. Employees at all levels of the organization, including the leadership team, are encouraged to participate; however, the program is not designed for volunteers.
