Measure and improve employee retention and engagement with these 12 questions: Learn from Gallup Q12®!

Measuring employee loyalty and employee engagement not only depends on rational but also heavily on emotional factors. It is all the more worrying that, according to a Gallup study, more than half of employees in the European labor market say they are not emotionally connected to their employer. Measure correctly and find out what it's like in your company so you can react proactively: With Gallup Q12!

Employee engagement study

Labor markets are becoming national and global continues to be dominated by the effects of the corona pandemic. Nationally, factors such as labor shortages and demographic change are increasing. It must be all the more alarming for German and European companies that, according to the current Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report 2022, European employees worldwide have the lowest level of emotional connection with their employer - in Germany only 16 percent have this because of what they experienced Leadership behavior has a high emotional connection. In combination with the employee-friendly labor market, this also means that almost half can imagine changing employers in the near future.

What is the Gallup Q12® survey?

Employee satisfaction is an important, rather rational factor for company success that can be measured very easily. But what about relevant aspects on an emotional level? With the Gallup Q12 ® survey you can ask the right questions to find out whether employees are happy with their jobs and have a high emotional connection to the employer. Using the Gallup Q12 ® survey, twelve questions that are closely related to the workplace and the working environment are used to measure the level of emotional connection between employees and the company. The twelve questions are based on decades of research. The wording and order of the questions in the Q12 ® survey is of fundamental importance for the exact measurement of emotional connection. We have compiled the questions for you here:

These are the Gallup Q12 ® questions

The Gallup Q12® survey is based on employees' agreement to the following questions on a five-point scale. The higher the agreement among those surveyed, the better the employee satisfaction, motivation and loyalty are.

1. Gallup Q12 ® questions on aspects of what you get from the company as an employee:

• “I am clear about what is expected of me as a job performance.”
  Employees are happier and more motivated when qualitative and quantitative goals are set and results are meaningfully compared with what has been achieved. Based on the findings from the Gallup Q12® surveys, a high level of communication is necessary for employees to have high approval ratings: What are the standards? What is expected? What freedom do employees have to define their own goals?
• “I have the necessary working materials and working conditions to carry out my work well and correctly.”
  The workplace furnishings and work equipment have an influence that should not be underestimated on both the well-being of employees and on employee empowerment - and thus on employee productivity and retention.
  

2. Gallup Q12 ® questions about the role and appreciation of employees in the company:

• “At work I always have the opportunity to do what I do best.”
  According to Gallup, people are only most successful and productive at work if they can use their strengths at work. The manager's task is to identify and further develop the talents of the individual and the team (together).
  
• “In the last seven days I have received recognition or praise for good work.”
  Motivation should take the form of regular and meaningful confirmation in order to reach employees, especially on an emotional level. If this is successful, the behavior that led to recognition will be repeated and employee loyalty will be increased at the same time.
  
• “My boss or someone else at work cares and appreciates me as a person.”
  Good interpersonal relationships in a social environment are crucial links and important for satisfaction and loyalty. Only if employees feel comfortable in the team will they stick together and advance the company.
  
• “There is someone at work who supports my development.”
  Almost all people have the need to learn and develop. A company that promotes personal development strengthens motivation and employee loyalty on an emotional level in the long term.
  

3. Gallup Q12 ® questions about employee affiliation with the company:

• “In my work environment, my opinion has weight.”
  Everyone wants to be heard and respected in their social environment - this is therefore also a relevant factor for high employee engagement and retention in their workplace.
  
• “The purpose and philosophy of our company make me feel that my work is important.”
  In order to see meaning in your job, the employer's corporate culture and mission must largely match your own or be understandable. If this is the case, a high level of agreement with this statement shows a high commitment factor.
  
• “My colleagues feel obliged and responsible to deliver quality in their work.”
  If the workplace environment strives to adhere to its own standards and quality requirements, the employee is also motivated to meet these requirements. Ultimately, a shared sense of responsibility emerges, which is also reflected in a high level of employee engagement.
  
• “I have a good friend in my company.”
  This question is about the aspect of “trust”. Employees who have high approval ratings on this issue feel able to express their opinions, feel more confident and are more productive. In addition, the basis of trust is also a decisive factor in keeping the willingness to change low.
  

4. Gallup Q12 ® questions for your own further development together with the company:

• “Over the past six months, someone in my company talked to me about my progress.”
  Everyone wants to know where they stand and in what aspects they can improve. For example, regular employee feedback discussions and their follow-up are an important management tool. 
• “I have had the opportunity to learn and develop within my company over the past year.”
  As mentioned above, all people have a basic need to learn and develop. However, this process can look different for everyone. High approval ratings for this question nevertheless indicate that the basic need is being met by the company and thus sustainably promotes high employee commitment and strong employee loyalty.

The Gallup Q12® survey does not contain questions about aspects such as salary, organization and similar. Although these are not unimportant for employees, based on research results they only play a subordinate role in employee retention and employee engagement.

Evaluation of Gallup Q12 ® results

The more questions in the Gallup Q12® survey tend to be answered positively, the higher the loyalty of employees to the company and thus also the employee commitment, since the workplace is considered attractive. And the higher the level of leadership quality can be assessed!

Employee engagement:
What is it like in your company?

Are your employees committed and high-performing? Is the emotional connection to your company low or high? Who stands it depends on the quality of leadership and satisfaction Your Employees*Interior?
→ Employee Experience Management Platform from QuestionPro.

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KEYWORDS OF THIS BLOG POST

Gallup | Gallup Q12 | employee retention | employee engagement | Employee survey