How signals are found
Once a day, Action planning compares the last finished quarter with the four quarters before it. A big, steady drop for a group of at least 5 people becomes a signal.
A signal is a drop that Action planning found in your own numbers. It looks at Pulse, Recognition, Perks and Wellness, for the whole company and for each department, and lists what it finds in Home → Signals.
What’s measured
| Module | Number | Focus area it’s filed under |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse | Pulse participation: the share of employees invited to a Pulse survey that quarter who answered at least one rating question | Program participation |
| Pulse | Pulse score: the average of the rating answers Action planning counts, from 0 to 100 | Team & culture |
| Pulse | A score for each question category, such as “Work-life balance score” | The area that matches the category |
| Recognition | Recognition giver reach: the share of employees who gave recognition | Recognition & appreciation |
| Recognition | Recognition recipient reach: the share of employees who received recognition | Recognition & appreciation |
| Perks | Perks redeemer participation: the share of employees who redeemed in Perks | Program participation |
| Wellness | Wellness step-sync participation: the share of employees who synced their steps | Program participation |
For questions rated 1 to 10, Action planning doesn’t count answers above 5 at the moment. So Pulse signals can differ from Pulse Analytics. Use Pulse Analytics to read the full survey results.
Common category names, such as Compensation and benefits, Work-life balance or Management, are matched to a focus area directly. Other category names are matched by AI. If AI isn’t confident about a category, that category doesn’t produce signals. Demo pulse surveys aren’t counted.
When a drop becomes a signal
Numbers are worked out for each calendar quarter. The last finished quarter is compared with the average of the four quarters before it. That average is the Baseline you see on each signal.
- A score has to be at least 12 points below the baseline.
- A share of people has to be at least 15 percentage points below the baseline, and no more than 70% of it. A fall from 60% to 42% counts. A fall from 60% to 45% doesn’t, because 45% is more than 70% of 60%.
- The latest quarter also has to be that far below at least three of the four earlier quarters on their own. One unusually good quarter can’t create a signal.
So a signal needs five quarters of numbers in a row. A drop in the current quarter shows up only once the quarter ends. Pulse participation is only measured in quarters when a Pulse survey was running.
Each signal’s headline says what fell, where and by how much, for example “Pulse participation in Finance fell from 71.0 to 48.0 %”.
Strength and status
- Strong means the drop was there in the quarter before as well. Medium means it showed up in the latest quarter.
- Seen runs from the first quarter of the current drop to the end of the latest quarter.
- Ongoing means the drop is still there. When a later update finds the number has recovered, the signal is marked Resolved.
Small groups and privacy
Signals show group numbers only, never a person’s name or answers.
- The whole company needs at least 5 active employees. A department with fewer than 5 gets no signals.
- A score needs at least 5 people who answered.
- A department’s share isn’t worked out when fewer than 5 people took part, or fewer than 5 didn’t. That stops anyone’s activity being picked out.
Signals count the employees who are active today, in the department they’re in today. Each signal says so: “Rates use the current active cohort and current departments; this is not a historical headcount comparison.”
How often signals update
Signals update once a day, at about 6:00 India time. The note at the top of Signals says which months the numbers cover and when they were last updated. It can also say:
- “A refresh is running.” The first time anyone opens Signals for your company, the numbers are worked out there and then. The page updates by itself when they’re ready.
- “Data is stale.” The last update is more than a day old.
- “The last refresh failed.” The previous results stay on screen until the next update works.
If there are no signals
The page says No signals yet. That means no group had a big, steady drop. It also happens when there aren’t five quarters of numbers yet, or when departments are too small. You can still create a plan without signals and add them later.