Annual results report
Sample data
Your overall culture score is 70 out of 100 — a healthy result. 312 of your 358 staff filled in the survey (87%, up 4% on last year). People love the company's purpose and trust their teammates, but three things need attention: (1) workload is the biggest problem — your cafe and customer support teams are running too hot; (2) some managers are far better than others, and the most common complaint is that staff feedback isn't acted on; (3) about 1 in 4 people are unsure they'll still be here in a year. 24 specific people are at high risk of leaving, mostly in the cafe and support team. The good news: the fixes are mostly cheap, simple, and can be done in the next 90 days.
1. Who took part
- 312 of 358 staff replied — that's 87%, up from 83% last year. A strong response.
- People answered 35 questions, gave a 0–10 score for "would you recommend us as a place to work," and wrote comments in 3 open boxes.
- Every department was well represented: Cafe Floor (128 people), Roastery (62), Customer Support (44), Wholesale (34), People & Finance (18), Marketing (14), and Leadership (12).
- 684 written comments came in. About 4 in 10 were positive, 3 in 10 neutral, 2 in 10 negative.
- Results are compared with last year, your last 4 quarterly pulses, and 18,000 other hospitality employees.
2. Headline scores by area
| Area | Score (out of 100) | vs Last Year | How you compare to others | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose & Mission | 81 | +1 | Better | Thriving |
| Trust in Teammates | 77 | +2 | Better | Thriving |
| Manager Quality | 69 | -4 | Same | OK |
| Growth & Career | 65 | -3 | Slightly better | OK |
| Recognition | 62 | -6 | Slightly worse | Needs work |
| Listening & Voice | 60 | -5 | Slightly worse | Needs work |
| Workload | 56 | -9 | Worse | Needs work |
In plain terms: people believe in what you do and like the people they work with. What's slipping is workload, feeling heard, and getting recognised for good work.
3. What the scores really mean
Purpose & Mission (81 — strong)
- Staff are proud to work here and understand how their job links to the bigger picture.
- The one weak spot: people want to hear more about where the business is heading long-term.
Trust in Teammates (77 — strong)
- Strong everywhere, even in the struggling departments. Don't change team structures — protect this.
Manager Quality (69, down 4)
- Big gap between the best (Roastery managers, 82) and worst (Support managers, 60).
- The most common complaint: "My manager doesn't act on the feedback I give them."
- A few comments name specific manager behaviours that need a private chat before any team-wide action.
Growth & Career (65, down 3)
- People who've been here 3+ years feel stuck — the classic "what's next for me?" problem.
- 14 comments specifically ask for a clearer career path. Roastery wants a senior roaster role; cafe staff want a route from shift lead to assistant manager.
Recognition (62, down 6)
- Roastery (74) does this well — they run weekly shout-outs. Cafe (56) doesn't.
- 31% of cafe staff and 49% of support staff said they had received no recognition in the past 3 months.
Listening & Voice (60, down 5)
- Weakest single question in the whole survey: "When I share feedback in 1:1s, does anything change?" Only about 1 in 3 say yes.
- 11 staff used the phrase "black hole" to describe what happens to their feedback. 19 more described the same feeling in different words.
- Leadership thinks they're doing well at this — there's a real gap between how leaders see themselves and how staff see them.
Workload (56, down 9 — biggest drop)
- Nearly 4 in 10 staff worked more than 5 unplanned overtime hours each week last month.
- Cafe (49) and Support (52) are under serious pressure. Roastery (70) is fine.
- Three causes from the comments: two people who left in Q1 weren't replaced; the new mobile order channel added about 22% more work but no extra staff; closing-shift breaks aren't being protected.
4. Would your staff recommend you as a place to work?
- Score: +14 (out of a possible -100 to +100). Down 5 on last year.
- 38% are fans, 38% are neutral, 24% would not recommend you.
- By department: Roastery +36 (great), Wholesale +24, Marketing +14, Cafe +2, Support -11 (warning sign).
- What fans say they love: the mission, their teammates, the quality of the coffee, flexibility.
- What unhappy staff complain about: workload (62%), feeling unheard (44%), lack of recognition (31%), pay clarity (24%).
5. Who is at risk of leaving?
- 28% of staff are unsure they'll still be here in 12 months. That climbs to 41% in Support and 36% in Cafe.
- We've identified 24 specific people most at risk: 14 in Cafe, 7 in Support, 2 in Wholesale, 1 in Roastery.
- Replacing all 24 would cost roughly A$295,000 in recruitment, training, and lost productivity. Even if only some leave, you're looking at A$110–140k over the next 3 months.
- In past surveys, about 4 in 10 people in this risk pattern actually left within 6 months. So this isn't theoretical.
6. Department by department
Cafe Floor (128 staff) — overall score 60
- Weakest: workload, recognition, communication.
- Strongest: trust in teammates, pride in the brand.
- Top complaints: short-staffed at weekends (52 mentions), unclear tip pool (24), no recognition from district managers (19).
- 14 of your 24 at-risk people work here. This is the biggest priority in the whole report.
Roastery & Production (62 staff) — overall score 80
- Your strongest team. Sustainable workload, good recognition, people feel they're growing.
- One watch-out: 5 people want a clearer senior roaster path. Sort this before they look elsewhere.
Customer Support (44 staff) — overall score 57
- Your weakest team. Workload, recognition, and manager quality all low.
- The April rollout of the new ticketing system was poorly trained — 14 comments mention it.
- Two specific manager-behaviour concerns need a private check-in before any group action.
- 7 of your 24 at-risk people work here.
Wholesale & Sales (34 staff) — overall score 73
- Healthy. Only real gripe: 11 comments about clunky CRM software and double data entry.
People & Finance (18 staff) — overall score 75
- Positive overall. Felt stretched during Q1 audit and year-end.
Marketing (14 staff) — overall score 72
- Healthy. Main issue: handoffs with the wholesale team.
Leadership (12 — small group, treat as a hint) — overall score 81
- Higher than line staff, as expected. The important signal here is the gap between how leaders rate themselves on follow-through vs how staff rate them.
7. Manager scorecard
- 14 managers had enough team members to score. 4 are top performers (mostly Roastery and Wholesale).
- 3 managers are scoring poorly (in cafe districts 2 & 4 and one support team).
- The pattern is clear: the best managers run weekly 1:1s with a written agenda. The weakest either skip 1:1s or run them without notes.
8. By length of service
- New starters (under 1 year): score 75. Onboarding works well. They flag pay fairness as the weakest area.
- 1–3 years: score 69. Workload is their pain point.
- 3–5 years: score 71. They want more growth opportunities.
- 5+ years: score 73. They feel taken for granted — recognition is their weakest area.
- New starter recommend score is +42 — onboarding is genuinely working.
9. What people wrote about most
| Theme | Mentions | Mood | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-staffing / overtime | 142 | Unhappy | Cafe, Support |
| Inconsistent recognition | 88 | Unhappy | Cafe, Support |
| Feedback ignored ("black hole") | 76 | Unhappy | Cafe, Support, Marketing |
| Pride in mission and coffee | 71 | Happy | All |
| Great teammates | 64 | Happy | All |
| Tip pool unclear | 24 | Unhappy | Cafe |
| Career path unclear | 22 | Unhappy | Cafe, Roastery |
| Ticketing system training | 14 | Unhappy | Support |
| Scheduling fairness | 19 | Mixed | Cafe, Support |
| Pay/benefits for 30-hour staff | 14 | Unhappy | Cafe |
| CRM friction | 11 | Unhappy | Wholesale |
10. The trend over time
| Area | Change vs last year | Change over 2 years |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | +1 | +3 |
| Trust | +2 | +5 |
| Manager Quality | -4 | -2 |
| Growth | -3 | -3 |
| Recognition | -6 | -8 |
| Listening | -5 | -7 |
| Workload | -9 | -12 |
| Overall score | -3 | -4 |
| Recommend score | -5 | -9 |
The decline is steady, not a one-off bad quarter. This is something building up that needs deliberate fixing.
11. How you compare to other hospitality businesses
- Better than average on: Purpose, Trust, Growth.
- Same as average on: Manager Quality.
- Worse than average on: Recognition, Listening, Workload (your biggest gap).