Each year, the Insight Survey gives us a window into what it feels like to work at UNSW.
Your feedback informs us about what is working well, and where we can do better. This year, more than 4600 of you participated and shared more than 11,000 comments.
Thank you for taking the time to provide constructive and often deeply felt feedback. It helps us to understand what matters most to you and where we need to improve.
What we heard
Our overall engagement score was 73%, a 2 point increase from last year’s Pulse Survey and well above both global and Asia-Pacific higher education benchmarks. This steady improvement reflects our ongoing commitment to purpose and to the UNSW Strategy: Progress for All.
Pride and advocacy remain at the heart of our culture. Eighty-seven percent of staff feel proud to work at UNSW, and 86% would recommend it as a great place to work. Many of you spoke about a sense of belonging, collegiality and a shared commitment to what UNSW stands for.
We also saw clear progress in the areas we deliberately focused on after the 2023 survey. Leadership was rated 5 percentage points more favourably, and innovation improved 8 percentage points, showing that the actions taken across faculties and divisions are beginning to make a difference. Explore more about the actions driven by your feedback.
Celebrating our UNSW managers
This year, we introduced the new My Manager Index to better understand your experience of working with your direct managers. The first-year results were very positive, showing the many ways in which UNSW managers are supporting their teams and living our UNSW Values in Action every day.
Three in four staff (75%) said they have a positive experience with their manager. Many of you described managers who care, listen and lead by example:
- 84% said their manager genuinely cares about their wellbeing
- 82% said their manager shows commitment to health and safety by leading by example.
These results highlight the strong relationships that already exist across our University, a foundation built on trust, respect and care. You also told us what would make that experience even better: more time for coaching, feedback and career development conversations. This will be a key area of focus for us in 2026.
Despite all the positive experiences shared with us, we also heard that for many of you the everyday experience of work can still feel challenging at times. Many of the comments that you shared described the significant impact of navigating complex systems and processes, unclear responsibilities and consistent changes in scope within your roles.
What this means for 2026
The University Leadership Team has agreed on two UNSW-wide priorities for 2026, grounded in your feedback and aligned with our triennium planning.
1. Improve the day-to-day experience of work for all.
We will be working on simplifying systems and processes, strengthening workforce planning, and setting clearer expectations of leaders around designing healthy, sustainable work. We will also continue our focus on improving the experience of casual staff, who make up a significant and valued part of our community.
2. Lift the quality and experience of coaching, performance, development and recognition.
We want every staff member to feel supported to grow and to have meaningful, future-focused conversations with their leaders when they matter the most, not simply once a year.
Again, it will require actions and attention from all of us to be as successful at making noticeable improvements like we did over the last two years with leadership and innovation.
What happens next?
Over the coming weeks, faculties and divisions will share their local results and begin team-based action planning. Insights from this year’s survey will also feed directly into the University’s 2026 annual plan, ensuring that your feedback shapes how we make work better for all at UNSW. Thank you again for helping to shape the UNSW we all want to belong to.
Find out more about the Insight Survey results.
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