Questions
The questions people ask before the second meeting
We would rather answer the hard ones in the first meeting than the fifth. If your question is not here, ask it on a call and we will add the answer.
What administrators ask
Where the line sits
Can we see results for one team of twelve?
No. The cohort minimum is thirty. The team can be reported inside a larger grouping, or not at all.
Can we find out whether a specific employee is using it?
No. Participation is reported as a rate across the population, never as a list.
Can we request individual data during an investigation or a legal matter?
No. The architecture separates responses from identity, so there is no individual record to produce.
Can we integrate it with our HRIS to enrich employee records?
No. Organizational reporting is aggregate and stays aggregate. Your own HRIS attrition data can be compared against the trend line at cohort level, on your side.
What happens if an employee leaves?
Their SPARKS account belongs to them, not to the employer. They can continue as an individual user, and they can delete their data at any point.
Does this replace our EAP?
No. It works alongside it, and it gives you a measure of whether the EAP and the rest of your spend are doing anything.
What do we tell people at the town hall?
That results go to the individual only, that no group smaller than thirty is ever reported, and that the organization cannot see who has used it. All three are checkable in the documentation, which is why the answer holds.
Who owns the data if we end the contract?
Individuals keep their accounts and their results. The organization keeps the aggregate reports it received. There is no individual data set to hand over, because none was ever assembled.
The measure
How the number is built
What is the SPARKS Strain Index actually measuring?
The current stress load carried by a group, on a 0 to 100 scale where higher means more stress. It comes from one facet of the Prism, the one designed to change; personality and attachment contribute nothing to it. Full definition.
Can we check it against something we already trust?
Yes. PSS-10 and WHO-5, both public-domain and widely recognized, are reported alongside it for the same cohort and period.
Where does the industry benchmark come from?
A benchmark population matched to your size tranche and industry, refreshed quarterly. Its size, classification scheme and vintage are stated in the specification, because a benchmark with no stated source is one you cannot defend internally.
When is our first number meaningful?
Organization-level baseline at ninety days, defensible cohort comparison at three to six months, cycle-adjusted at six to twelve. Early joiners are not a random sample, so we hold back comparisons that would not survive scrutiny.
Can it be used in a decision about a person?
No, and that restriction is written into the organizational agreement rather than only onto a page. It is not a diagnosis, not an individual score, and it does not predict who will leave.
What if a cohort is too small to report?
It is suppressed rather than rounded, because rounding a group of four still tells you about four people. It can be reported inside a larger grouping instead.
Rollout and cost
What it takes to run
How much work is this for my team?
A cohort map, one internal announcement, and thirty minutes a quarter to read the report. We bring the launch copy, the baseline, the benchmark context and the quarterly working session. The full rollout.
What does it cost?
Organizational plans start at $10 per member per month, billed monthly, including aggregate reporting, onboarding and support. Pricing.
How do we know if it worked?
You agree the measures at kickoff and hold us to them: aggregate stress and sentiment, cohort hot spots, voluntary attrition in the flagged cohorts, program attribution around each intervention, and participation. The measurement plan.
What would have to change for this to pay for itself?
Less than you would guess. Run the break-even calculator on your own headcount, salary and attrition rate; it tells you how small a real change would have to be before the program has paid for itself.
Can we start small?
Yes. One cohort map, one baseline, one report. If a single quarter does not tell you something you did not already know, you will have found that out cheaply.
Is there a contract minimum?
Billing is monthly per member. Scope, term and any white-label or integration work are settled on the call, because they differ by size and by what you already run.
If you are here for yourself
Individual questions
Is the beta really free?
Yes. During beta you get full individual access at no cost, so you can see the value before you ever pay.
What happens when beta ends?
Individual plans become $7.99 a month. We will give you notice well before anything changes, and you can decide then.
Can I cancel?
Anytime. There is no lock-in on the individual plan.
If my employer pays, can they see my answers?
No. Not your responses, not your results, not your journal, not whether you signed up at all. Your privacy.
How long does it take to get something useful?
The Big Five takes ten to fifteen minutes and you get a result immediately. The rest of the core set take five to ten minutes each, and most people spread them over a week.
Can I delete everything?
Yes, at any point, without asking us. Account and data deletion.
About the assessments
What you are actually taking
Are these real psychological assessments, or internet quizzes?
They are drawn from validated, research-based instruments, not invented for the internet. Every source is listed on the Assessment References page, so you can check the research behind each one yourself.
How long do they take?
Most take five to ten minutes. The Big Five is the longest, at ten to fifteen minutes, and it gives Sparks the most to work with. You see your result the moment you finish each one.
Which one should I start with?
Start with the Big Five, then the Enneagram. After that, complete the core set: Values and Beliefs, Attachment and Communication Style. By then the Communication Coach and Reflection Journal are personalized to you. The rest you can take in any order, whenever they are relevant.
Why take more than one?
One assessment gives you a snapshot. Several give you a picture. The Insights Engine connects your results, so you learn how your personality, your attachment pattern and your communication style interact, which no single test can show you.
How is this different from the free tests online?
A free test gives you a result and stops. Sparks keeps every result in one private profile, explains what each score means and how they tie together, and then uses that profile to shape the coaching you get in your email and messages.
Why do some assessments come in work, home and learning editions?
Because most people communicate and handle conflict differently at work than they do at home. The relationship assessments let you answer for each setting, so your insights reflect how you actually operate in each one rather than an average of all of them.
Is the 16 Types assessment the MBTI?
No. Sparks does not use the MBTI instrument and is not affiliated with The Myers-Briggs Company, which owns the MBTI and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator trademarks. Our 16 Types assessment is a separate instrument in the same style, sorting four preferences into sixteen types. Sparks pairs it with the Big Five, which measures degree rather than category.
Is any of this a diagnosis?
No. The assessments are for self-awareness and growth, not clinical diagnosis or treatment. The well-being measures can tell you something worth paying attention to; if they do, or if you are struggling, please talk to a doctor, therapist or counsellor.
The ACE Study asks about my childhood. Should I take it?
Take it when you have the time and space for it. It asks about difficult early experiences, and for some people that brings things up. Your answers stay private to you, and the results are often a good thing to talk through with a therapist.
Can I retake them?
Yes. People change, and your profile should change with them. Plans include quarterly retakes, so you can see what has moved.
Who sees my results?
Only you. If your employer provides Sparks, it never sees your answers, your results, or whether you have taken an assessment at all. You can choose to share results with your own therapist or coach. Your privacy.
What languages are they available in?
English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Still deciding?
If you are looking at SPARKS for an organization, bring your headcount, your attrition rate and your current wellness spend, and we will run the numbers with you. If you are here for yourself, there is nothing to ask us for; the first assessment is free.