As our startup now grows FTEs, we want to initiate a wrap-up email they send to management (e.g. the cofounders) each Friday with a set of thoughtful questions that let us know how things are going for them, ideas they have, etc. Our hope is this will help employees feel heard, reflect on their week, and be platform for in person discussions. I should note we are open to bringing on a consultant/advisor to help us ensure we are doing team development in a thoughtful way as we grow. But this seems like a no regret first step.
I think that it would be important to answer the following questions.
* Who comes up with the "thoughtful questions"? And are they new every week?
* Who is responsible for the answering of these questions?
* What is the pace of the start-up?
* Will every team's concerns / progress / roadblocks / setbacks be relevant to management?
* How much time should each team spend on developing its response (related to point 2)?
* "...help employees feel heard, ..." - How do you plan to measure this?
* Is a weekly cadence the right pace?
** Can teams align their "wrap-up" with their natural development cycles (this is more relevant if the company is a technology company)?
* Will these wrap-ups be relevant to other teams?
Answering these questions can help develop how relevant these emails are both to employees and to management.
Answered 9 years ago
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