Q-12 Employee engagement

The so-called Q-12 survey is a technique developed by Gallup to determine the level of employee engagement. Through 12 areas of question, it recognizes the commitment of the individuals in their work, which is necessary to recognize so that you can develop a better relationship with employees and ensure many benefits. According to a Gallup survey, 66% of all employees in 2021 were not emotionally connected to the employer, and a 2% decline was recorded compared to 2020.

It may be unthinkable for some to be emotionally connected to an employer, but in an orderly world this should be the norm. The employer and the employee are part of the same organization and the better the interpersonal relationships are, the greater the atmosphere and outcome of the whole organization will be. Some find it easier to connect with the organization, especially if they firmly believe in the same goal, but some need time. Thus, employee engagement is not uniform, so the motivation of individuals is not as great. An engaged individual will have a greater motivation to contribute to the success of the organization itself, because it provides a sense of personal welfare. The relationship between such employees and the relationship with managers is based on trust, integrity, mutual commitment and communication, which increases the chances of business success and higher productivity. Employee engagement is a direct reflection of how much they are willing to invest and contribute to the success of the organization, whether it is the quality of work, creativity or time invested.

As an employer, do you know the degree of engagement in your organization?

Once you learn such information about your employees you will be able to recognize why some things are not working and what to do to improve them. The Gallup Q-12 Engagement Survey allows us to set the level of engagement, and this is important because, as their research has shown, employees who score higher on the Q-12 test show a positive result on the following questions:

81% fewer absences,

64% fewer security incidents,

41% fewer qualitative omissions,

14% higher productivity,

10% higher customer ratings,

18% higher sale,

23% higher profitability.

Thanks to Gallup, we know how the quality of the environment affects the degree of engagement of an individual, which directly affects the success of the organization. This test largely determines the level of emotional connection of the employee with the organization – something that is necessary so that they would be willing to increase their engagement. The Q-12 test consists of 12 statements about which an individual must answer to what extent they relate to them, and which relate to the workplace and the environment:

I know what is expected of me at work.

I have the materials and equipment to do my work right.

I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day at work.

I have received recognition or praise for doing good work in the last seven days.

My supervisor or someone else at work cares about me as a person.

There is someone at work who encourages my development.

My opinion counts at work.

The mission/purpose of my company makes me feel that my job is important.

My fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.

I have a good friend in my organization.

In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
I had an opportunity to learn and grow in the last year.

Although work engagement is characterized by involvement and commitment, it further implies the existence of emotional-cognitive states such as energy and mental resilience, strong involvement and a sense of importance or contribution, high concentration and interest in work.

Based on this test, Gallup distinguishes three levels of employee engagement:

actively engaged – so-called ambassadors of the organization, those whose emotional connection is high and represent their organization and link their welfare to business success,
not engaged, they invest time in their work, but not enough energy and passion,
actively disengaged, who are contrary to the former and oppose everything the organization represents or refuse to do what is required of them and actively undermine what other engaged individuals achieve and work hard for.

Thanks to the Gallup Q-12 test, you can identify which of your employees fall into which category and based on that determine the relationship with whom to work – even the actively disengaged ones can become actively engaged if the organization establishes a quality emotional relationship with them and shows them how their successes and welfare match. That is why it is important to establish the composition of your employees and act as soon as possible to improve the overall machinery of the organization.