Employee Engagement Surveys

A study done by Tiny Pulse in 2018 discovered alarming facts about employee engagement:

  • Employee loyalty is decreasing: 43% of workers would be willing to leave their companies for a 10% salary increase, and weak company cultures are to blame.
  • Leadership teams lack self-awareness: 39% of managers strongly agree that management within their organization is transparent, only 22% of employees feel the same way.
  • Workers need better direction: Less than half of employees feel career path is clear to them.  And 44% of employees don’t feel they have sufficient opportunities for professional growth.
  • Employees aren’t getting recognition: Only a third of workers received recognition the last time they went the extra mile at work and just a quarter feel highly valued at work.
  • Employees care deeply about their coworkers: 91% of people rate their coworkers positively, and yet just 9% of people think their average coworker is very happy.
  • Most cultures are decidedly mediocre: We found that less than one third of people believe they have a strong culture.
  • The #1 factor that predicts performance is the level of support provided by managers: High performers rate the level of support they receive at 8/10, low performers rate it at a 6.8/10.

Check out Tiny Pulse’s full report on engagement: https://www.tinypulse.com/hubfs/EE%20Report%202019.pdf

What is the Gallup Q12?

An employee survey that measures employee engagement, the Q12 consists of 12 actionable workplace elements that offer proven links to performance outcomes.  Gallup spent years conducting thousands of interviews across industries in multiple countries.  It has been administered to more than 25 million employees in 195 countries in 70 languages.

Q1: I know what is expected of me at work. This question addresses one’s ability to understand how their role is defined and measure their awareness of their day-to-day responsibilities.

Q2: I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.  This question is meant to address discrepancies between what an employee has and what they need.

Q3: At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.  This question uncovers if employees are in a position to maximize their efforts by building on their strengths.

Q4: In the last 7 days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.  This question focuses on the company’s ability to pinpoint and highlight outstanding individual contributions.  Does anyone notice effort?

Q5: My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.  This question aims to uncover how emotionally engaged the leaders in your organization are.

Q6: There is someone at work who encourages my development.  Is there an encouraging presence within your team or does everyone go about their own business on any given day?

Q7: At work, my opinion seems to count.  This question looks at leaders take employees’ thoughts and opinions into consideration.

Q8:  The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.  This measures employees’ commitment to where the company wants to go and their engagement in helping get there.

Q9: My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.  Offers insights into whether team members feel everyone contributes and completes tasks at the highest levels possible.

Q10: I have a best friend at work.  Relationships are important and act as an encouraging sign that a team is working as one.

Q11: In the last 6 months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.  Metrics and statistics are important, especially as they relate to job performance.

Q12: Since last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.  This question is designed to uncover your organization’s current engagement levels, as they relate to continued training and education.

Every question represents a point within four stages that an employee goes through on their path to engagement—from primary needs and individual contributions to the desire to make improvements and apply new ideas. By focusing on the emotional impact of one’s workplace environment, there’s more opportunity to uncover and correct any roadblocks that may arise.

More on Engagement Surveys

Groups of questions can link questions about satisfaction, the job, team, supervisor, and overall organization.  Themes may include leadership, values, safety, communication, teamwork, training, and company benefits.  For example:

It is easy to become absorbed in my job. Does time fly by when working on a project?  Is the work interesting or fulfilling? This anchor question indicates how involved a person feels in their work.

I would recommend The Company as a great place to work. This anchor question evaluates the commitment a person feels towards their company.  It indicates how their level of pride in the company.

Most days, I look forward to coming to work. Work that is challenging and exciting is a strong contributor to engagement.  Tedious or monotonous work can lead to disengagement.

MAGIC: Meaning, Autonomy, Growth, Impact & Connection

Meaning: My job provides me with a sense of meaning and purpose. Do employees find meaning and purpose in their jobs? Does their work make a difference for themselves or others?

Autonomy: I have the freedom to choose how to best perform my job. Do employees feel they have autonomy – freedom, self-governance, and an ability to make choices about their work?

Growth: I feel challenged and stretched in my job in a way that results in personal growth.  Does the job provide development opportunities? Does the work challenge employees to grow and improve?

Impact: Most days, I see positive results because of my work. Do employees see impact of their work?  Do they feel successful and see that their effort contributes to the overall success of the organization?

Connection: I feel like I belong here. Do employees have a personal connection with the people they work with, their boss, and the social community of the workplace?

Many organizations make the mistake of calculating engagement by either using the average score of all questions or the result of just one question.  Use the results from five to six anchor questions to calculate levels of engagement, from fully-engaged employees to fully disengaged employees.

https://www.cashort.com/blog/getting-in-depth-with-the-gallup-q12-employee-surveys

https://decision-wise.com/questions-employee-engagement-survey/

PDF Link