What’s Your (Remote) Company ‘Culture Score’?

How does your company stack up? Let’s find out! Note down if you agree (+1) with each statement below, and sum up your points to get your company’s “culture score”. You’ll note that some statements start with “I”, and others refer to “we”. When a statement includes a “we”, respond with “agree”  if you feel the statement applies consistently across your workplace (and most of your colleagues would also agree).

• Trust and Transparency
  • My company is open and honest about most problems.
  • We trust our co-workers.
  • I have freedom to work in a way that suits me.
  • My manager trusts me, and does not micromanage me.
  • I feel comfortable sharing about my personal life with one or more co-workers.
  • My workplace is collaborative and open with knowledge.
  • My workplace is transparent with salaries and bonuses.
• Communication
  • I feel comfortable joking around with colleagues or inserting humor into meetings.
  • Conversations with co-workers are polite, respectful, and assume best intentions.
  • I rarely or never observe screaming, gossiping, or sabotaging colleagues.
  • The meetings I’m in are useful, as short as possible, and goal-oriented.
  • Most of our hard conversations take place via face to face conversation (in-person or via video-chat) instead of email or messaging platforms.
  • We prefer quick conversations or asynchronous messaging over emails for day-to-day demands.
  • Information is easy to find in documentation when I need it.
• Decision Making
  • We value contributions from individuals with good ideas, regardless of their position in the company.
  • We look for consensus over listening to the loudest opinions.
  • My leaders rarely “pull rank” when they don’t get their way.
  • We value the work that we produce over titles.
  • There is a minimum level of bureaucracy at my company.
  • We consult everyone who will be affected by (or responsible for) a decision.
  • We value data over intuition when possible.
• Happiness
  • We care about what we do, and we’re not just putting in a day’s work.
  • We support and recognize others.
  • We are optimistic about the future of the company.
  • Most of the time, I feel good about what I’ve accomplished when I wrap up for the day.
  • I have the tools and equipment I need to succeed.
  • I have a best friend at work.
  • I feel valued, appreciated, and respected at work.
• Personal Growth
  • We don’t incentivize bad behavior to achieve personal promotions.
  • We tend to promote from within.
  • We appreciate and learn from failure without blaming individuals.
  • We have clear, consistent, and communicated expectations for each position, level (Associate, Senior, Principal, etc), and promotion requirements.
  • We allow individuals to experience and experiment with different roles and jobs.
  • For roles that require additional skills before promotions, we dedicate time, resources, and mentorship to growing individuals. 
  • Performance reviews focus on well-defined criteria, attainable personal growth, and include helpful input from many individuals. 
• Diversity and Inclusion
  • We hire and promote individuals from different backgrounds.
  • We offer safe places to have conversations about hidden biases at work.
  • We make efforts to increase and celebrate diversity.
  • We track and share our diversity numbers.
  • We survey and share employee sentiment regarding inclusivity.
  • Important conversations are accessible to everyone as opposed to secret or exclusive gatherings.
  • I rarely or never hear inappropriate humor.
• HR Policies
  • My company’s IT policies do not hinder my productivity.
  • Reimbursing my expenses is easy and fast, without too many restrictions or rules to keep track of.
  • My company conducts exit interviews, provides visibility into common themes behind attrition, and takes action accordingly.
  • I am able to anonymously and privately submit complaints or suggestions that are consistently followed-up in some way by HR.
  • Employees are able to view and vote on suggestions and complaints submitted by colleagues.
  • My company does not track keystrokes or mouse movement, take screenshots or camera snapshots periodically, or partake in other forms of surveillance.
  • My company does not calculate ‘idle time’, generate focus or productivity scores, or penalize pay as a result of ‘smart’ time-tracking metrics.
• Fun and Flexibility
  • We are flexible with our processes, and willing to experiment with new ideas and ways to accomplish our work.
  • Many meetings and conversations include lightheartedness and fun.
  • I like and respect my manager(s).
  • There are regularly scheduled and attended social activities at least several times a month.
  • I am able to take a few hours here and there to run errands that must be done during the workday.
  • I take at least one longer period of time off (over five days) in addition to at least several weeks of cumulative time off every year.
  • I am comfortable with my work-life boundaries, and I don’t feel pressured to work more than I want to.

See how your score measures up:

0-19: It may be time to look for a new job. Your organization has significant deficiencies in the workplace that will be hard to overcome (unless, of course, you happen to be an executive leader hoping to transform your company – in which case, good luck!).

20-37: Your company is fairly average. It’s not so terrible that individuals are searching for new jobs in the background during daily meetings, but it’s also not a happy and empowering workplace for most. The good news is that you’ve got a strong foundation, which means that your company can become great with the right advocacy and organizational changes.

38-56: Your company is pretty great! You set high standards and employees generally are happy working here. Keep it up.

Looking for ideas to improve your company culture? Check out our book How to Build a Great (Remote) Culture.