Putting Windmill to Work

Now that you’ve connected your systems and set up your org chart, it’s time to activate Windmill’s features. These features (called Routines in Windmill) determine what Windy does for your team.

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Available features

Windmill offers several features to support different aspects of team management: 1-on-1s Structured agendas and note-taking for manager-employee meetings. Keep track of discussion topics, action items, and progress over time. Best for: Managers who want to make their 1-on-1s more structured and track conversations over time. Pulse Surveys Regular check-ins to measure team sentiment, engagement, and wellbeing. Windy collects responses conversationally in Slack, making it easy for team members to share how they’re feeling. Best for: HR teams and managers tracking team morale and identifying potential issues early. Recaps Weekly summaries of team member activities, automatically generated from your connected tools. Recaps help managers stay informed about what everyone accomplished without constant check-ins. Best for: Managers who want visibility into team activities and contributions. Continuous Feedback Real-time feedback collection from team members at the right moments. Windy reaches out when colleagues have been working together to capture fresh, relevant feedback while it’s still top of mind. Best for: Teams moving away from annual reviews toward continuous performance feedback. Shoutouts Public recognition for team members who exemplify your company values. Team members can give each other shoutouts, and they’re displayed prominently in Slack and Windmill. Best for: Companies building a culture of recognition and appreciation. Company Values Define your organizational values and integrate them with Shoutouts to reinforce behaviors that matter most to your company. Best for: Companies that want to tie recognition to specific values and behaviors.

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What to start with

We recommend starting with 1-on-1s and Pulse Surveys. Here’s why: 1-on-1s help managers build stronger relationships with their direct reports through structured conversations. They create a foundation for ongoing feedback and provide a clear record of discussion topics and action items over time. Pulse Surveys give you a baseline understanding of team sentiment and engagement. Starting these early helps you track trends over time and identify areas that need attention before they become bigger issues. Once you’re comfortable with these two features, you can add Recaps for automatic activity visibility or Continuous Feedback to build a more robust performance feedback system.

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Activating your first routine

To set up a routine:

1. Go to your Windmill Dashboard
2. Click Set up Routine
3. Select the feature you want to activate
4. Review your team’s current integrations (more connections = better insights)
5. Configure visibility settings (who can see what)
6. Activate the routine

Once active, Windy will begin working with your team based on the routine’s configuration.

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Testing before rolling out

Before rolling out to your entire team, consider:

1. Testing with a small group - Start with your leadership team or a single department
2. Observing Windy’s interactions - Join a few Slack channels where Windy is active to see how Windy engages
3. Gathering feedback - Ask your test group about their experience before expanding

This approach helps you refine your configuration and build confidence before a company-wide rollout.

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Managing routines

You can pause, edit, or delete routines at any time from Settings > Routines. Changes take effect on the next scheduled run.

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Next steps

Once you’ve activated your first routine and tested it with a small group, you’re ready to roll out Windmill to your entire team.