With it becoming harder to retain top talent these days, companies are sitting up and taking notice when it comes to work environments and well-being. Pip Jamieson, the founder of U.K.-based creative network The Dots, sees how vital the team can be to a business. "You can have a great idea, but execution is everything. (And) you can't execute at scale unless you have a bloody brilliant team," she said at The Telegraph's "Women Mean Business" event last week. The Dots founder broke down two ways to keep tabs on employee well-being, while ensuring output remains stable.

Measuring objectives

Rather than using key performance indicators (KPIs), the network is all about a measurement called Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). KPIs may be seen as a key foundation at major corporations, but as Jamieson has previously mentioned, for start-ups — which can operate differently — KPIs can be "a complete nightmare."

Pip Jamieson, founder of The Dots, at The Telegraph's "Women Means Business" Live event in London. Courtesy of The Telegraph

"When you scale a business, you don't really know what's achievable," Jamieson said in London, explaining that with KPIs, these particular goals are meant to be achievable; yet when new ideas emerge, you may not know what's attainable — so targets may be set too high or low. By opting for OKRs, this framework helps The Dots identify and track objectives, while producing results. "You're basically looking at a vision, but then you're putting measurable steps on how to achieve that vision, which are results that are measurable. If you get 6 out of 10, you're doing really well. If you get 4 out of 10, then you know that (targets) are too aspirational." "It's a really good way to motivate the team, as they understand what they're working on, but it also allows for the fact that scale is tricky," she added.

Happiness and productivity