"Your first pulse survey: the questions, and the meeting after"
A short starting set of pulse questions, a launch message, how to read the first results without over-reading them, and an agenda for the follow-up meeting that makes people answer the next one.
On this page
The first pulse survey is easy to send. The part that decides whether anyone answers the second one is what happens afterwards. People will answer once. They keep answering if they see something come of it.
This guide covers both halves: what to ask, and the meeting after.
Pick the rhythm
Pulsido offers two. Weekly is the default.
- Every week, two weeks, or month: three to ten questions at once, about a minute to answer.
- Every working day: one to three questions, answered with a tap on Home or in Slack. Nobody faces a long survey, and a missed day just passes.
For a first pulse, either works. The weekly one is easier to explain ("five questions every Monday"). The daily one builds a fuller picture faster, with less effort per person. Pick the one you can explain in one sentence.
Starter questions
Pulsido's library has 50 research-based questions across ten areas of work, and it rotates them for you. If you're choosing your own, or writing a first survey by hand, these eight cover the ground people most often want to talk about. Each is a statement people agree or disagree with.
| Area | Question |
|---|---|
| Workload | I can usually get my work done in a normal working week. |
| Tools and clarity | I have what I need to do my job well. |
| Manager | My manager gives me useful feedback on my work. |
| Recognition | When I do good work, someone notices. |
| Growth | I'm learning things here that matter for my career. |
| Belonging | I feel I can be myself at work. |
| Voice | If I raise a concern, I believe something will be done about it. |
| Recommendation (eNPS) | How likely are you to recommend us as a place to work? (0–10) |
Keep the "voice" question in. It's the one your follow-up meeting answers.
Avoid questions you're not ready to act on. Asking about pay when pay is frozen for the year only collects disappointment.
A launch message you can copy
We're starting a short pulse survey, and here's why.
We want to hear how work is going, regularly, rather than once a year. From [day], you'll get [one to three questions a day / five questions every Monday]. It takes less than a minute.
Your answers are confidential. Scores only show for groups of three or more, and comments reach managers without your name. [Admins who set it up don't see answers.]
We'll share what we heard and what we're doing about it by [date, about four weeks out]. That part's a promise.
Set the date for sharing results before you send. Then keep it.
Reading the first results
Three cautions, because first results are easy to over-read:
- Small numbers move a lot. A team of eight where one person's answer changes can swing a score noticeably. Look at direction over several weeks, not a single reading.
- First scores aren't a baseline yet. People answer differently once they see whether anything happens. Treat the first month as a starting point, not a judgement.
- A low score is a question, not an answer. "Workload is low on the support team" tells you where to ask, not what's wrong. The comments, and the conversation, tell you what's wrong.
In Pulsido, nothing shows for a group until three or more people answered, and comments arrive in the feedback inbox where managers can reply without seeing who wrote them. Reply to comments within a few days, even if it's only "Thank you, I've read this, and we'll talk about it at the team meeting."
The follow-up meeting
Thirty minutes with each team, run by its manager, within four weeks of launch.
- What we heard (5 minutes). Share the team's results honestly, including the lowest score. Don't explain it away.
- What surprised us (5 minutes). One thing the manager didn't expect. It shows they read it.
- Let's understand one thing (15 minutes). Pick one area, usually the lowest, and ask the team about it. "What would make this better?" Listen more than you talk. Nobody needs to say what they answered.
- What we'll do (5 minutes). One or two concrete actions, with an owner and a date. Small is fine: "We'll stop scheduling meetings on Friday afternoons."
Then record the action where people can see it. In Pulsido, Insights → Actions keeps track of what you committed to, and you can share it as "You said, we did", which tells people their answers went somewhere.
What to avoid
- Hunting for who said it. Even asking "who wrote the comment about deadlines?" stops people on that team answering candidly.
- Debating the scores. "I don't think workload is really a problem" tells people you didn't want to hear it.
- Promising everything. One action done beats five announced.
Sources and limits
The question wording here is written for this guide; Pulsido's built-in library is documented in the help center. For the evidence on why being heard matters, see Feeling heard.