Quarterly pulse results
Sample data
Your overall culture score is 72 out of 100 — a healthy result. 148 of your 176 staff filled in the survey (84%, up 6% on last quarter). People love the company's purpose and trust their teammates, but three things need attention right now: (1) workload has dropped sharply — your cafe and customer support teams are running too hot; (2) recognition is patchy — your roastery does it well, your cafe doesn't; (3) about 4 in 10 staff say feedback in 1:1s leads nowhere. Your 'would you recommend us as a place to work' score has slipped from +28 to +19, almost entirely from the cafe and support teams. The good news: a small set of fixes — most of them cheap — can turn this around inside 90 days.
1. Who took part
- 148 of 176 staff replied — that's 84%, up 6% on last quarter. A strong response.
- Every department was represented: Cafe Floor (62 people), Roastery (34), Customer Support (22), Wholesale (16), People & Finance (9), Leadership (5).
- People & Finance and Leadership are small groups, so treat their scores as a hint rather than hard fact.
- 312 written comments came in. About 5 in 10 were positive, 3 in 10 neutral, 2 in 10 negative.
2. Headline scores by area
| Area | Score (out of 100) | vs Last Quarter | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose & Mission | 82 | +1 | Thriving |
| Trust in Teammates | 78 | +2 | Thriving |
| Manager Quality | 71 | -3 | OK |
| Growth & Career | 66 | -2 | OK |
| Recognition | 63 | -5 | Needs work |
| Listening & Voice | 61 | -4 | Needs work |
| Workload | 54 | -11 | Needs work |
| Pay & Benefits Fairness | 58 | -1 | Needs work |
In plain terms: people believe in what you do and like the people they work with. What's slipping is workload, recognition, and feeling listened to.
3. What's working — protect it
- People are proud of the mission. Nearly 9 in 10 can describe what Acme stands for in their own words. This is the biggest reason staff stay.
- Teammates trust each other. Even in your weakest departments, trust scores stay high. Don't reorganise teams — keep this.
- New starters are positive. Staff in their first 6 months rate the company at 79 out of 100. Onboarding works.
4. What needs attention
Workload (54, down 11 — biggest drop)
- Nearly 4 in 10 staff worked more than 5 unplanned overtime hours each week last month.
- Cafe (47% overrunning) and Support (41%) are the pressure points.
- Three causes from the comments: two people who left in Q1 weren't replaced; the new mobile order channel added about 22% more work; closing-shift breaks aren't being protected.
Recognition (63, down 5 — and very uneven)
- Roastery managers run a weekly shout-out. Cafe and Support don't.
- 29% of cafe staff said they had received no recognition at all in the past 3 months.
- High performers in Support feel especially invisible.
Feedback going nowhere (Listening & Voice 61, down 4)
- 41% disagree that feedback in 1:1s leads to visible change.
- 7 staff wrote the exact phrase "black hole." 14 more described the same feeling.
- Leadership rates this 78 out of 100 — there's a real gap between how leaders see themselves and how staff see them.
Pay & benefits fairness (58)
- Not a crisis, but new starters rate it weakest at 49.
- Two specific complaints: tip pool is unclear in the cafe, and benefits feel uneven between full-time and 30-hour staff.
5. Would your staff recommend you as a place to work?
- Score: +19 (out of a possible -100 to +100). Down 9 on last quarter.
- 41% are fans, 37% are neutral, 22% would not recommend you.
- By department: Roastery +38, Wholesale +25, Cafe +4, Support -9 (warning sign).
- What unhappy staff complain about: workload (62%) and feeling unheard (44%).
- What fans say they love: the mission, their teammates, the quality of the coffee.
6. Department by department
Cafe Floor (62 staff) — overall score 61
- Weakest: workload, recognition, communication.
- Strongest: trust in teammates, pride in the brand.
- Top complaints: short-staffed at weekends, unclear tip pool, no recognition from district managers.
- 11 cafe staff are at high risk of leaving. This is your biggest priority.
Roastery & Production (34 staff) — overall score 81
- Your strongest team. Sustainable workload, good recognition, people feel they're growing.
- One watch-out: 3 staff want a clearer senior roaster path.
Customer Support (22 staff) — overall score 58
- Your weakest team. Workload, recognition, and manager quality all low.
- The April rollout of the new ticketing system was poorly trained — 9 comments mention it.
- Two specific manager-behaviour concerns need a private check-in before any group action.
Wholesale & Sales (16 staff) — overall score 74
- Healthy. Only real gripe: 6 comments about clunky CRM and double data entry.
People & Finance (9 staff) — overall score 76 (small group, treat as a hint)
- Positive overall. Felt stretched during the Q1 audit.
Leadership (5 staff) — overall score 80 (small group, treat as a hint)
- Higher than line staff, as expected. The big signal is the gap between how leaders rate themselves on follow-through vs how staff rate them.
7. By length of service
- New starters (under 1 year): score 74. Pay fairness is their weakest area.
- 1–3 years: score 70. Workload is their pain point.
- 3+ years: score 73. They want clearer career growth.
8. What people wrote about most
| Theme | Mentions | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| Short-staffing / overtime | 71 | Unhappy |
| Inconsistent recognition | 44 | Unhappy |
| Feedback ignored | 38 | Unhappy |
| Pride in mission and coffee | 34 | Happy |
| Good managers (team level) | 29 | Mostly happy |
| Tip pool unclear | 17 | Unhappy |
| Ticketing system training | 12 | Unhappy |
| Career path unclear | 11 | Unhappy |