Question: How do you measure your startup employees’ morale over time?
Quarterly Efficiency Audits
“Every quarter, I run what I call “efficiency audits” — meetings where I ask employees specifically about their email management, daily and weekly schedules, priorities, happiness, sleep, health and fitness. Over time, I can compare how we’re doing as a company; individually, I can track everyone’s growth!”
– Derek Flanzraich | CEO and Founder, Greatist
Keep An Eye On Side Projects
“If one of my team members is either pouring everything she’s got into a side project or she doesn’t have one at all, I consider that a warning sign for bad morale. I go through my team’s side projects on a regular basis and, as long as there seems to be balance between what they’re doing for me and what they’re building for themselves, I don’t worry too much.”
– Thursday Bram | Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting
Always Stream Something Good
If your office includes employee selected music playing, you can instantly gauge the morale by what’s playing on the speakers. Generally, people are not going to be playing upbeat, happy music if they’re depressed or upset. At a startup I once worked at, control of the music rotated, which made it easy to get a sampling of everyone’s feelings as each person took a turn as DJ.”
– Jason Evanish | co-founder, Greenhorn Connect
Weekly Mini-Reviews
“Every Monday, everyone at my company fills out a short survey using 15five, describing what’s gone well over the past week, what hasn’t, and how happy they are. It’s also a platform to make suggestions for how the company as a whole can improve. The survey takes a few minutes to answer, and it allows me to keep a pulse on what’s going on with each individual and make sure everyone is thriving.”
– Arjun Arora | Founder @ CEO, ReTargeter
Solicit Feedback On Tasks
“I always try to include my employees in the discussion about what they will be working on. I try to find out if what they are doing is interesting to them and if they have ideas on it. When employees just start doing things only because you ask them to, it’s usually a good sign that morale is decreasing. Try to repurpose or re-inspire your employees with things they want to be doing.”
– Lucas Sommer | Founder CEO, Audimated
Talk To Employees “Off The Clock”
“The best measurements are taken during a one-on-one conversation over lunch or a beer. Get them out of the office and really see if the passion still exists when they’re ‘off the clock.'”
– Jordan Guernsey | CEO, Molding Box
Anonymity Says It All
“We distribute an annual survey for each team member to answer about every other team member in the company anonymously. The surveys are filled with general questions based around dedication and skill levels, and offer an opportunity for others to suggest ways each team member can improve. Once they’re all filled out, I meet with each person to go over the responses so they know where they stand.”
– Logan Lenz | Founder / President, Endagon
Is This Still Working For You?
“On a periodic basis, I point blank ask, “Is this still working for you?” If someone is ready to move on to a new opportunity, I want to know and help them to reach their goals. It’s important to care about individuals as people and to be willing to bless and release them when the time is right.”
– Elizabeth Saunders | Founder & CEO, Real Life E®
Job Descriptions And Goal Sheets
“The simple strategic solution to this is to know your employees goals, both personally and professionally, and then help them to reach those goals. Let them know they are not only an element of your goals but you are also an element of theirs. In many cases, their goals are not all that far-reaching, and by working with them to reach their goals, you’ll have an employee for life.”
– Roger Bryan | Managing Partner, ROI Marketing Department
One-On-One Lunches
“Every quarter, I have a one-on-one lunch with each employee with my VP of Internal Affairs. I let them choose the restaurant. I ask them to be transparent and upfront on how we can improve their work environment, their job and our company. I listen to their concerns and what they like. This is a great time for me to truly see what direction we can continue to improve on in the next quarter.”
– Peter Nguyen | CEO, Literati Institute
Bring In A Specialist
“We have monthly one-on-one meetings with all of our team members, but we also get professional help every once in a while by having a psychologist come to the office and give us therapy! “
– Alfredo Atanacio | Co-Founder, Uassist.ME
