Speed Read (tl;dr) of Get - And Keep - High Quality Staff Using Pulse Checks
Importance of Employee Satisfaction: Maintaining a positive work environment is crucial for retaining high-quality staff. Regularly assessing staff happiness through tools like Pulse Checks helps leaders understand which aspects of the workplace contribute to satisfaction.
Strategic Use of Data: Analyzing responses from Pulse Checks allows leaders to identify trends and areas of improvement within their organization. This data helps in making informed decisions to enhance employee experience and retention.
Utilizing Insights for Recruitment: Insights gained from Pulse Checks, including feedback on what employees value most about their workplace, can be effectively used in recruitment strategies. Highlighting these strengths helps attract new hires who align with the organization’s culture and values.
Read below for resources, tips, and the why!
As a leader in the workplace, you need staff members who are a good, quality fit for your organization and you want them to stay. If you’re a school leader, you already know that hiring – and keeping – highly qualified, enthusiastic teachers is essential to the success of a school.
Virginia Williams, Possip reporter with a background in Elementary Education & Special Education, shares ways to use the responses and data you get from Pulse Check to attract and retain high quality teammates.
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Let’s Start With Your Sentiment Question
It’s more than just asking how they feel. Use the Pulse Check sentiment question to reflect on what’s working for high quality staff members – and what’s not.
Possip Partners can ask a simple question to their staff each week: “Are you happy working at _____ this week?” Your team is invited to answer with “yes” or “no” and are given the opportunity to elaborate with praise or feedback. Rather than simply viewing those “yes” and “no” percentages (and giving yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for creating a positive work environment!), consider more closely examining those staff responses from week to week.
We know that happy employees are good for companies, regardless of industry. But you can use the data you collect to reflect with your leadership team by asking yourselves the following questions:
- Who consistently answers that they are “happy” working at our school?
- Are there any trends worth noting?
- Are there certain teams, departments, or grade levels that are happier than others?
- Have there been any significant changes from one week to the next?
- For example, were there certain teams or staff members who were consistently “unhappy”, but then suddenly started responding “happy” after you made a change to an expectation or routine?
In addition, if you’re wondering what to do about anonymous responses, don’t worry – you can ask Bonus Questions to dig a little deeper and learn more, even if you don’t know exactly which teammates are responding “yes” or “no” from week to week.
Now Use a Bonus Question!
Now that you know which staff members are most enthusiastic to come to work each day, you can strategically ask Bonus Questions as a follow-up to learn more about WHY. A Bonus Question is exactly that – an additional, customizable question. Use it to find out why certain teammates are consistently happy. Here is a list of Bonus Questions you could use to investigate further and help you answer that question:
- What keeps you here?
- What do you love about our organization / company / school?
- What is the most helpful thing our leadership team has done to support you this year?
- What is something special about our organization / company / school community?
- What’s something you love about your team?
- Is there anything a teammate has done to help you grow professionally this year?
- What would you like to see more of next year?
Share Your School Community’s Strengths
Through your Bonus Question research, you will learn more about your team’s strengths and assets. This knowledge can then inform your ability to sell your school during the staff recruitment process.
Special Notes for School Leaders
The Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education cites research that “connects student access to effective educators with improved outcomes”. You likely also know that recruitment and retention can be two of the most challenging tasks for school leaders. Use Pulse Checks by Possip as a tool to help you with your recruitment and retention strategies.
The article 10 Tips for Better Teacher Hiring sheds light on the importance of “bragging” about your school…again, and again and again. Share with potential new hires all the reasons your current staff love working at your school, and share it many times, in many ways! Perhaps you can have a bulletin board display near your school’s entrance featuring teachers’ quotes. You could also include this information on your school’s website or a newsletter.
Implement Support Systems for Reinforcement
Lastly, don’t forget to implement support systems for those amazing new hires. You worked hard to recruit great teammates – now let’s make sure they are set up for success. We want them to have a great first year and stay on your team for years to come.
