T-SEMS (Team SEMS) Framework¶
Employee Health Measurement for the Agentic Workforce Era Version: 1.0 | April 2026 | Internal — Confidential
Unfamiliar term? See the AWE Glossary.
1. What T-SEMS Is¶
T-SEMS is how Worksuite knows its people are OK.
In a traditional org, managers serve as the early warning system. They notice when someone's burned out, disengaged, or struggling. They have 1:1s. They check in. In AWE, there are no managers. T-SEMS fills that gap with structured, consistent measurement that flows directly to the people who can act on it.
T-SEMS is owned by the VP of People Success (Diana Upson). Results flow to the CEO first, reinforcing the foundational commitment that People First isn't a poster on the wall — it's a reporting line.
What It Is Not¶
- Not a performance review tool. It measures how people feel, not how they perform.
- Not a surveillance system. Anonymity is the default. Trends matter more than individual names.
- Not optional. If you don't measure it, you can't protect it.
2. What T-SEMS Measures¶
Four dimensions, each capturing a different facet of employee health:
| Dimension | What It Captures | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wellbeing | Physical health, mental health, work-life balance, stress levels | Burned out people don't do their best work. Family First means we catch this early. |
| Engagement | Connection to the mission, investment in outcomes, sense of purpose | Engagement is the leading indicator. When it drops, everything else follows. |
| Motivation | Energy, drive, excitement about work, willingness to tackle hard problems | Motivation is the fuel. Without it, even engaged people coast. |
| Satisfaction | Happiness with tools, processes, compensation, growth opportunities, team dynamics | Satisfaction is the baseline. Dissatisfied people leave, and they usually don't tell you first. |
These four dimensions are deliberately broad. They cover the full spectrum from "Am I OK as a human?" (Wellbeing) to "Am I OK at this company?" (Satisfaction).
Mapping to Core Principles¶
| Core Principle | T-SEMS Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Family First | Wellbeing (work-life balance, stress), Satisfaction (flexibility) |
| Flexibility | Satisfaction (autonomy, tools, processes), Motivation (freedom to solve problems creatively) |
| Fairness | Satisfaction (compensation, growth), Engagement (equity in opportunity) |
3. How T-SEMS Is Administered¶
3.1 Frequency¶
| Cadence | What | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Pulse | 3-5 questions, < 2 minutes to complete | Fast signal. Catches sudden drops. Rotating subset of dimensions. |
| Monthly Deep Dive | 15-20 questions across all four dimensions, 5-8 minutes | Full picture. Establishes trends. All dimensions covered. |
| Quarterly Reflection | 25-30 questions + open-ended prompts, 10-15 minutes | Strategic insight. Qualitative context. Feeds into org-level planning. |
3.2 Format¶
- Digital-first. Delivered through Worksuite's internal tooling. No paper, no clunky third-party survey links.
- Async. Surveys open at the start of the window and stay open for 48 hours. No scheduled meeting required.
- Mobile-friendly. People should be able to complete a pulse check from their phone while waiting for coffee.
- Plain language. No corporate survey jargon. Questions are written the way people actually talk.
3.3 Anonymity Model¶
This is where it gets intentional:
| Level | When Used | What the VP of People Success Sees |
|---|---|---|
| Fully Anonymous | Weekly Pulse | Aggregate scores by functional group only. No individual attribution. |
| Optionally Identified | Monthly Deep Dive | Individuals can choose to attach their name. Useful when someone wants to flag something specific. Default is anonymous. |
| Confidential to VP of People Success | Quarterly Reflection | Names attached but visible only to the VP of People Success. Enables follow-up conversations when needed. Never shared with leadership by name without consent. |
The anonymity model is designed to build trust over time. Weekly pulses are completely safe — no one can trace your score. As the cadence lengthens and the questions deepen, people can opt into more transparency if they want support.
Hard rule: Individual-level data from any T-SEMS survey is never used in performance evaluation, compensation decisions, or any form of disciplinary action. Period.
4. Scoring Methodology¶
4.1 Individual Scoring¶
Each question uses a 1-5 scale:
| Score | Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strongly Disagree / Very Low | Something is seriously wrong |
| 2 | Disagree / Low | Below expectations |
| 3 | Neutral / Moderate | Neither good nor bad |
| 4 | Agree / High | Healthy |
| 5 | Strongly Agree / Very High | Thriving |
Each dimension gets a dimension score: the average of all questions in that dimension.
Each person gets a composite score: the weighted average across all four dimensions.
4.2 Dimension Weights¶
| Dimension | Weight | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Wellbeing | 30% | If people aren't healthy, nothing else matters. Family First. |
| Engagement | 25% | The leading indicator for retention and quality of work. |
| Motivation | 25% | The energy source. Directly correlated with innovation and resilience. |
| Satisfaction | 20% | Important but often a lagging indicator. Captures the operational environment. |
Wellbeing is intentionally weighted highest. This is a company that says "People First." The scoring reflects that.
4.3 Aggregation¶
| Aggregation Level | How It's Calculated | Who Sees It |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | Weighted average of 4 dimension scores | VP of People Success only (quarterly); anonymous otherwise |
| Functional Group | Average of individual composites within a group (BSAs, TSAs, Core Functions, Worksuite Services) | VP of People Success + CEO |
| Org-Wide | Average of all individual composites | VP of People Success + CEO + WLT |
Functional groups in AWE: - Business Solution Architects (BSAs) - Technical Solution Architects (TSAs) - Core Functions (Finance, Sec & Infra, Sales & Marketing) - Worksuite Services (PayOps, CompOps, Help Desk) - People Functions (People Success, People Experience)
4.4 Trend Tracking¶
Raw scores matter less than trends. A team at 3.8 holding steady is healthier than a team at 4.2 that dropped from 4.6. T-SEMS tracks:
- 4-week rolling average (weekly pulses)
- 3-month rolling average (monthly deep dives)
- Year-over-year comparison (quarterly reflections)
- Rate of change — how fast is a score moving, and in which direction?
5. Alert Thresholds¶
When does the VP of People Success escalate to the CEO?
5.1 Threshold Levels¶
| Level | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | All dimensions ≥ 3.5 and stable or trending up | No action. Healthy. |
| 🟡 Yellow | Any dimension drops below 3.5, OR any dimension drops > 0.5 points in a single cycle | VP of People Success investigates. Informal outreach. CEO notified in weekly summary. |
| 🟠 Orange | Any dimension drops below 3.0, OR composite score for any functional group drops below 3.5 | VP of People Success escalates to CEO within 24 hours. Response protocol initiated. |
| 🔴 Red | Any dimension drops below 2.5, OR composite score for any functional group drops below 3.0, OR >25% of org scores a dimension at ≤ 2 | VP of People Success + CEO meeting within same day. Immediate response. WLT informed. |
5.2 Escalation Path¶
VP of People Success detects alert
├── 🟡 Yellow → VP of People Success handles, CEO in weekly summary
├── 🟠 Orange → VP of People Success + CEO within 24 hours
└── 🔴 Red → VP of People Success + CEO same day, WLT briefed
The CEO always knows the state of the org. Yellow alerts appear in the weekly T-SEMS summary that the VP of People Success delivers every Monday. Orange and Red alerts break the cadence and go directly.
5.3 Participation Threshold¶
T-SEMS results are only valid with sufficient participation:
| Survey Type | Minimum Response Rate | If Below Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Pulse | 70% | Flag to VP of People Success. Non-response itself is a signal. |
| Monthly Deep Dive | 80% | Results marked as provisional. VP of People Success follows up on non-participation. |
| Quarterly Reflection | 90% | Delay reporting until threshold is met. |
Low participation is its own alert. If people stop answering, that tells you something.
6. Response Protocols¶
What happens when scores drop.
6.1 Yellow Response (Dimension < 3.5 or Drop > 0.5)¶
Timeline: 1-2 weeks Owner: VP of People Success
- Identify scope. Is this org-wide or concentrated in a functional group?
- Anonymous outreach. Add targeted questions to the next pulse to understand the cause. Open an anonymous feedback channel.
- Pattern matching. Cross-reference with recent org events (reorgs, product deadlines, external stressors, seasonal patterns).
- Light intervention. Address root cause if identifiable. May include: adjusting workload, clarifying communication, surfacing a concern to the relevant WLT member.
- Track recovery. Monitor the next 2-3 pulse cycles to confirm the dimension is stabilizing.
6.2 Orange Response (Dimension < 3.0 or Group Composite < 3.5)¶
Timeline: 48-72 hours to initiate, 2-4 weeks to resolve Owner: VP of People Success + CEO
- CEO briefing. VP of People Success presents data, trends, and hypothesized root cause within 24 hours.
- Targeted listening sessions. VP of People Success conducts small-group conversations (5-8 people) within the affected functional group. Confidential. No WLT members present.
- Root cause analysis. Is this a People Success issue (wellbeing, culture) or a People Experience issue (tools, access, process)? Route accordingly:
- People Success issue → VP of People Success leads response
- People Experience issue → COO leads response, VP of People Success monitors recovery
- Action plan. Concrete steps with owners and deadlines. Shared with CEO for approval.
- Communication. Affected group is informed that their feedback was heard and what's being done. No empty promises. Specifics or nothing.
- Recovery tracking. Weekly check-ins until the dimension returns to ≥ 3.5 for two consecutive cycles.
6.3 Red Response (Dimension < 2.5 or Group Composite < 3.0 or Wide Spread)¶
Timeline: Same day to initiate, ongoing until resolved Owner: CEO + VP of People Success + relevant WLT members
- Emergency briefing. VP of People Success + CEO within hours. Full data package.
- WLT notification. All WLT members informed of the situation and their role in the response.
- All-hands communication. CEO addresses the org directly. Acknowledges the issue. Commits to action. This is not a town hall — it's a "we hear you" moment.
- Intensive listening. VP of People Success conducts 1:1 confidential conversations with anyone who wants one. Multiple time slots. No pressure.
- Structural review. Is something fundamentally broken? Workload? Tooling? Culture? Compensation? This goes deeper than a quick fix.
- Action plan with CEO sponsorship. The CEO owns this. The plan is specific, time-bound, and visible to the org.
- Weekly org-wide updates until the situation is resolved.
- Post-recovery retrospective. What happened, what we did, what we learned. Documented and shared.
7. How T-SEMS Replaces Traditional Manager Check-Ins¶
In a traditional org:
The manager's job was to be the sensor: "How's the team doing?" But this model has problems. Managers have their own biases. Some are great at sensing team health; many aren't. Information gets filtered, delayed, or lost as it moves up the chain.
In AWE:
What T-SEMS Does Better Than Managers¶
| Traditional Manager Check-In | T-SEMS |
|---|---|
| Depends on manager's skill and empathy | Consistent, structured, same questions for everyone |
| Filtered through manager's interpretation | Direct signal from the employee |
| Frequency varies (some managers check in weekly, some never) | Fixed cadence: weekly, monthly, quarterly |
| Individual conversations stay in the manager's head | Data is captured, tracked, and trended |
| Manager may not escalate | Thresholds auto-trigger escalation |
| Political dynamics affect honesty | Anonymity enables truth |
| Manager departure = loss of team knowledge | Institutional memory lives in the system |
What T-SEMS Cannot Replace¶
T-SEMS is a measurement system, not a relationship. The things that make work feel human — a teammate who notices you're off, a peer who grabs coffee when you're having a rough week, a mentor who pushes you to grow — those don't come from surveys.
T-SEMS catches what falls through the cracks. The VP of People Success and peer relationships provide the human layer. The system works because both exist.
The VP of People Success as Org Counselor¶
With no managers, the VP of People Success becomes the organizational equivalent of a guidance counselor. Anyone can reach out to Diana directly, confidentially, for any reason. T-SEMS gives Diana the data to know where to proactively look. But the door is always open, survey or not.
8. Integration with the AWE Model¶
T-SEMS doesn't exist in isolation. It's woven into the AWE operating model.
8.1 The Manager-Shaped Hole¶
AWE eliminates management layers for good reason: speed, autonomy, and the elimination of information bottlenecks. But removing managers creates a gap in the "is everyone OK?" function. T-SEMS is the primary mechanism that fills that gap.
| AWE Element | How T-SEMS Connects |
|---|---|
| No managers | T-SEMS provides the sensing function that managers used to perform |
| People First | T-SEMS is the measurement system that proves People First is real, not aspirational |
| Family First | Wellbeing dimension explicitly tracks work-life balance and stress |
| VP of People Success → CEO | T-SEMS results flow to the CEO first, matching the reporting structure |
| People Success vs. People Experience | T-SEMS identifies whether issues are wellbeing (VP of People Success) or operational (COO) and routes accordingly |
| ICs with autonomy | T-SEMS protects against the downside of autonomy: isolation, overwork, lack of support |
| D3 Framework | T-SEMS can surface when collaborative decision-making is breaking down (engagement drops, frustration indicators) |
| 3-day BCs / 3-week TSBs | T-SEMS catches when the pace is unsustainable before it becomes a retention problem |
8.2 Feedback Loop with People Experience¶
T-SEMS measures how people feel. People Experience (COO) owns the operational environment. The feedback loop:
T-SEMS surfaces low Satisfaction scores in "tools and access"
→ VP of People Success flags to COO
→ People Experience investigates and improves tooling/process
→ T-SEMS measures whether the fix worked
This creates a closed loop. Measure → identify → fix → verify. Without T-SEMS, People Experience is guessing. With it, they have signal.
8.3 Feedback Loop with Leadership (WLT)¶
T-SEMS Org-Wide Report (monthly)
→ VP of People Success presents to CEO
→ CEO shares relevant findings with WLT
→ WLT members address issues in their functional areas
→ Next T-SEMS cycle measures impact
The CEO sees T-SEMS results before anyone else on the WLT. This is by design. The CEO decides what to share, when to share it, and how to frame it. This prevents well-intentioned but premature reactions from other WLT members and ensures the CEO maintains the full picture.
9. Sample Survey Dimensions and Questions¶
9.1 Wellbeing (30% weight)¶
What it captures: Physical health, mental health, work-life balance, stress levels.
| # | Question | Type |
|---|---|---|
| W1 | I have enough time for my personal life and family outside of work. | 1-5 Scale |
| W2 | My stress level over the past week has been manageable. | 1-5 Scale |
| W3 | I feel physically and mentally healthy enough to do my best work. | 1-5 Scale |
| W4 | I feel comfortable taking time off when I need it, without guilt. | 1-5 Scale |
| W5 | The company genuinely cares about my wellbeing, not just my output. | 1-5 Scale |
| W6 | What's one thing that would improve your day-to-day wellbeing at work? | Open-ended |
9.2 Engagement (25% weight)¶
What it captures: Connection to mission, investment in outcomes, sense of purpose.
| # | Question | Type |
|---|---|---|
| E1 | I understand how my work contributes to Worksuite's goals. | 1-5 Scale |
| E2 | I feel invested in the success of the projects I'm working on. | 1-5 Scale |
| E3 | I would recommend Worksuite as a great place to work. | 1-5 Scale |
| E4 | I feel like my voice matters in decisions that affect my work. | 1-5 Scale |
| E5 | I'm proud to tell people I work at Worksuite. | 1-5 Scale |
| E6 | What keeps you engaged? What's at risk of disengaging you? | Open-ended |
9.3 Motivation (25% weight)¶
What it captures: Energy, drive, excitement about work, willingness to tackle hard problems.
| # | Question | Type |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | I feel excited about the work I'm doing right now. | 1-5 Scale |
| M2 | I have enough autonomy to solve problems in the way I think is best. | 1-5 Scale |
| M3 | I'm learning and growing in my role. | 1-5 Scale |
| M4 | I feel challenged, but not overwhelmed. | 1-5 Scale |
| M5 | I wake up most mornings looking forward to work. | 1-5 Scale |
| M6 | What would make your work more energizing? | Open-ended |
9.4 Satisfaction (20% weight)¶
What it captures: Happiness with tools, processes, compensation, growth opportunities, team dynamics.
| # | Question | Type |
|---|---|---|
| S1 | I have the tools and technology I need to do my job effectively. | 1-5 Scale |
| S2 | Communication across the organization is clear and timely. | 1-5 Scale |
| S3 | I feel fairly compensated for my work. | 1-5 Scale |
| S4 | I see a clear path for my growth and development here. | 1-5 Scale |
| S5 | The people I work with are collaborative and supportive. | 1-5 Scale |
| S6 | I have the access to data and AI tools I need to be effective. | 1-5 Scale |
| S7 | What's working well? What's frustrating? | Open-ended |
9.5 Question Rotation for Weekly Pulses¶
Weekly pulses use 3-5 questions, rotated to cover all dimensions over a month:
| Week | Questions |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | W2 (stress), E2 (investment), M1 (excitement) |
| Week 2 | W1 (work-life balance), S1 (tools), M4 (challenge level) |
| Week 3 | W4 (time off comfort), E4 (voice matters), S5 (collaboration) |
| Week 4 | W5 (company cares), M2 (autonomy), S6 (AI tools), E3 (recommend) |
This ensures every dimension gets measured at least once per month even through the lightweight pulse format, and no single week feels like an interrogation.
10. VP of People Success Reporting Cadence¶
| Report | Frequency | Audience | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulse Summary | Weekly (Monday) | CEO | Top-line scores, any Yellow alerts, participation rates |
| Monthly Health Report | Monthly | CEO, then WLT | All four dimensions by functional group, trends, open issues, recommended actions |
| Quarterly Strategic Review | Quarterly | CEO + WLT | Deep analysis, qualitative themes from open-ended responses, comparison to prior quarters, strategic recommendations |
| Annual People Health Report | Annually | CEO + WLT + Org (summary version) | Year in review, progress on identified issues, organizational health trajectory |
11. Implementation Notes¶
Getting It Right From Day One¶
- Communicate the why before the what. Before the first survey goes out, Diana should talk to the org about what T-SEMS is, why it exists, and what will (and won't) happen with the data.
- Start with the weekly pulse. Get people used to the cadence before adding longer surveys.
- Close the loop fast. The first time someone raises an issue through T-SEMS and sees it addressed, trust in the system skyrockets. The first time feedback disappears into a black hole, trust dies.
- Don't over-survey. The cadences above are maximums, not requirements. If a weekly pulse feels like too much, drop to biweekly and adjust.
- Iterate the questions. These sample questions are a starting point. After 2-3 quarterly cycles, review which questions produce useful signal and which are noise. Cut the noise.
Technology Considerations¶
- T-SEMS should live in Worksuite's internal tooling, not a third-party survey platform. This keeps data internal and reduces friction.
- Dashboards for the VP of People Success and CEO should be real-time, not batch-processed.
- Trend visualization is more important than raw numbers. Make it easy to see direction, not just position.
- Open-ended responses need NLP/AI summarization to surface themes without requiring the VP of People Success to read every individual response in a growing org.
Privacy and Trust¶
- T-SEMS data is classified as Confidential — People.
- Access controls: VP of People Success has full access. CEO has aggregate and group-level access. WLT members see only their functional area in monthly reports.
- Individual responses are never stored with personally identifiable information in the weekly pulse dataset.
- Quarterly reflection data (confidential to VP of People Success) is stored in a separate, restricted system.
- Annual audit of data access to ensure no scope creep.
12. T-SEMS Terms¶
For cross-wiki terms (roles, WLT seats, frameworks, work products), see the AWE Glossary. Terms specific to T-SEMS:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Dimension | One of four measurement areas: Wellbeing, Engagement, Motivation, Satisfaction. |
| Composite Score | Weighted average of all four dimension scores for an individual or group. |
| Pulse | Weekly 3–5 question micro-survey. Fully anonymous. |
| Deep Dive | Monthly 15–20 question survey covering all dimensions. Optionally identified. |
| Quarterly Reflection | 25–30 question survey with open-ended prompts. Confidential to VP of People Success. |
| Alert Threshold | Score level that triggers escalation (Green / Yellow / Orange / Red). |
| Functional Group | Organizational grouping for score aggregation (BSAs, TSAs, Core Functions, Worksuite Services, People Functions). |
Document maintained by Red. Part of the AWE organizational model reference set.