Baylor University was recently named one of the 2017 Great Colleges to Work for by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
“As a research university with a Christian commitment, Baylor University offers its faculty and staff a distinctive professional environment,” Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone said in a statement.
According to Livingstone, faculty and staff have the opportunity to grow professionally and personally through investments in employee success, a caring community and outstanding benefits.
Baylor was cited in six categories, compensation and benefits, facilities, workspace and security, job satisfaction and support, professional/career development programs, supervisor/department chair relationship and work/life balance.
An article by the Baylor Media Communication Department said that out of 232 colleges and universities that were surveyed by the Chronicle of Higher Education, only 79 received recognition as a great college to work for.
According to the same article, the primary factor to determine whether or not an institution received recognition was employee feedback.
“The big things that we focus on are ensuring that we have policies that support an excellent employment experience,” said Cheryl Gochis, vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer.
Within the past year, Baylor has had a parental leave policy and an adoption benefit program which has made a significant difference for many Baylor employees, Gochis said. These actions fall under the work/life balance category the university was cited for.
A well-being program was also recently launched for faculty and staff at Baylor which encourages them to look at all aspects of well-being. Gochis said that when employees are well and they feel good, they are able to do better work and their lives outside of work become better as well.
Gochis said the university also has a program for employees that they sometimes call the “Hidden Benefits” of Baylor. Through this, employees might receive discounted admission for some places on campus or tickets to some of the athletic events.
“We really want employees to be able to benefit from the many programs we have here and to benefit with their family,” Gochis said.
According to Gochis, that is why students see so many staff and faculty members at university events such as Diadeloso, Homecoming and Christmas on Fifth.
Gochis said that Baylor’s faith based mission is a distinctive quality in today’s environment and what makes working at Baylor stand out from other institutions.
“We’re not only attempting to be a school with extremely high academic standards and excellent student life programs,” Gochis said. “We also want to be one where our work honors Christ and is a light in a dark world.”
