Starting Staff Pulse Checks®? Read these best practices!
First, choose a start date in the middle of the week. We send staff Pulse Checks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when staff are more energized to share praise and feedback.
When starting staff Pulse Checks, share why and how you are doing Pulse Checks. Draft a note to staff that includes this one-pager and the following points:
- The reason you are starting Staff Pulse Checks, and what you want to learn.
- Who will read reports. Team members want to know that their responses are being read by trusted leaders with the power to follow-up or create change.
- How anonymity works. At the end of Pulse Checks, participants can reply "yes" or "no" to a question on whether they'd like to remain anonymous– this is important to share! Even if there is a trusted point-person overseeing Staff Pulse Checks, team members want to feel empowered to authentically share without fear of backlash.
- Set expectations for participation. Let staff know how often they will receive Pulse Checks (monthly, biweekly, weekly, etc) and set expectations for when and what to share.
- Share plans on how you will incorporate staff feedback. Routinely sharing back what you've learned can reinforce participation in Staff Pulse Checks because team members genuinely feel heard.