How to Prepare an Employee Engagement Survey? Gallup Q12 and eNPS Guide
How to prepare an employee engagement survey? Gallup Q12, eNPS, pulse survey methodologies, 25 sample questions and results analysis for engagement measurement.
Are your employees truly engaged, or just satisfied? The difference between the two can cost your company millions annually. According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2024 report, employee engagement globally is only 23%. In Turkey, this rate is even lower: 14%. The difference between engaged and disengaged employees causes an economic loss of $450-550 billion annually in the US.
So how is employee engagement measured? How are the right questions asked? How are results turned into action? This guide explains the comprehensive engagement survey preparation process step by step with Gallup Q12, eNPS and pulse survey methodologies.
What is Employee Engagement? Engagement vs Satisfaction
Employee engagement and employee satisfaction are often confused. However, there are critical differences between the two:
Engagement
- Emotional and mental connection
- Work motivation and extra effort
- Alignment with company goals
- Proactive, high performance
Satisfaction
- Basic needs met
- Passive happiness
- Minimum effort
- Leaves when better offer comes
Gallup's 3 Employee Categories
23%
Engaged Employees
Proactive, high performance, company advocates, showing extra effort, loyal employees.
62%
Not Engaged Employees
Minimum effort, clock watchers, do their job but don't take extra steps, leave as soon as shift ends.
15%
Actively Disengaged
Unhappy, negative impact, complaining, creating toxic atmosphere, demotivating others.
SHRM 2024 Research: Engaged employees are 21% more profitable, 17% more productive, and show 59% less turnover. Satisfied but disengaged employees leave when better offers come, engaged employees stay even during tough times.
Why is Employee Engagement Survey Critical?
Engagement measurement is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Here are 5 critical reasons:
1
Early Warning System
Detects employees with high turnover risk, provides intervention opportunity before departure.
2
Culture X-Ray
Which department, which manager has issues? Makes it visible with data.
3
Leadership Assessment
Measures managers' engagement impact, identifies effective leaders.
4
Action Plan Foundation
Creates objective foundation for data-driven HR strategies.
5
ROI Proof
Proves impact of HR investments on business results.
Qualtrics Employee Experience Trends 2024: Companies conducting regular engagement measurement have 25% higher employee retention, 10% higher customer satisfaction, and 17% higher productivity.
Gallup Q12: Gold Standard Methodology
Gallup Q12 is a 12-question engagement measurement methodology validated with 30 years of research and 2.7 million employee data. It has proven correlation with business results.
Gallup Q12: 12 Critical Questions
Level 1: Basic Needs
1. I know what is expected of me at work.
2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
Level 2: Manager Support
3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
Level 3: Teamwork
7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
10. I have a best friend at work.
Level 4: Growth
11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
Scoring and Analysis
5-point Likert Scale: 1 (Strongly Disagree) - 5 (Strongly Agree)
4.0+
High Engagement
3.0-3.9
Medium Engagement
<3.0
Urgent Intervention
Microsoft Work Trend Index 2024: Productivity is 18% higher in companies implementing Gallup Q12. If Q1-Q2 is low, resource issue; if Q3-Q6 is low, manager problem; if Q7-Q10 is low, culture issue; if Q11-Q12 is low, career development lacking.
eNPS: Employee Net Promoter Score
eNPS allows you to take a quick engagement pulse with one question. This method adapted from customer NPS is ideal for trend tracking.
eNPS Question
"On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a workplace to friends or colleagues?"
eNPS Categories
9-10
Promoters
Loyal advocates, positive word-of-mouth
7-8
Passives
Neutral, satisfied but can easily leave
0-6
Detractors
Unhappy, negative impact, complaining
eNPS Calculation Formula
eNPS = (% Promoters) - (% Detractors)
Example Calculation (100 employees):
• 40 Promoters (40%)
• 30 Passives (30%)
• 30 Detractors (30%)
eNPS = 40% - 30% = +10
eNPS Benchmark 2024
+50 and above
Excellent (Google, Microsoft)
+10 - +49
Good
0 - +9
Needs Improvement
Negative
Critical Situation
LinkedIn Talent Trends 2024: There is 87% correlation between eNPS and turnover. eNPS strength is in trend tracking (quarterly measurement), weakness is not answering "why?". Therefore, always add open-ended follow-up question.
Pulse Survey: Frequent, Short, Action-Oriented
Pulse survey allows you to take real-time engagement pulse with weekly or monthly 3-5 question mini surveys. It's the modern approach to continuous measurement instead of annual survey.
Traditional Survey vs Pulse Survey
Traditional Annual Survey
- Once a year
- 50-80 questions
- Late action
- Survey fatigue
- Annual snapshot
Pulse Survey
- Weekly/Monthly
- 3-5 questions
- Quick intervention
- 80%+ participation
- Continuous like a movie
Gartner 2024: Employee retention is 22% higher in companies using pulse surveys. Problems detected before growing, high participation achieved, trend analysis done over time.
Sample Pulse Survey Questions
1. How satisfied are you with your work this week? (1-10 scale)
2. Are you getting enough support from your manager? (Yes/No/Partially)
3. Is your stress level normal? (Low/Normal/High)
4. What motivated you most this week? (Open-ended)
Comprehensive Engagement Survey: 25 Sample Questions
25 sample engagement questions under 6 main categories. All questions asked with 5-point Likert scale (1: Strongly Disagree - 5: Strongly Agree):
Category 1: Leadership and Management
1. My manager sets clear goals and communicates expectations clearly.
2. My manager provides regular feedback.
3. My manager recognizes and values me as an individual.
4. I trust senior management's decisions.
5. My manager supports my development.
Category 2: Career and Development
6. I see a clear path for career advancement in the company.
7. I have learned a new skill in the last 6 months.
8. I can easily access training resources.
9. I use what I do best in my job.
Category 3: Culture and Values
10. Company values are lived in daily work.
11. I feel comfortable being myself (psychological safety).
12. I work in an environment open to different ideas.
13. The company values diversity.
Category 4: Work-Life Balance
14. I find my workload reasonable.
15. I am satisfied with my work-life balance.
16. I benefit from flexible work opportunities.
17. The company cares about my mental health.
Category 5: Team and Collaboration
18. I trust my team members.
19. Cross-departmental collaboration is effective.
20. My ideas are heard and valued.
21. I have at least one close friend at work.
Category 6: Recognition and Reward
22. I am recognized when I do good work.
23. I think my compensation is fair.
24. The performance evaluation system is fair.
25. My contributions impact company success.
Bonus Questions:
26. Would you recommend our company as a workplace? (0-10 eNPS)
27. Your suggestion to make the company better? (Open-ended)
Results Analysis and Action Planning
Conducting a survey is not enough, reading results correctly and turning them into action is essential. 5-step action plan:
1
Read the Data
Overall score, category-based analysis, department/manager breakdown, trend analysis (vs previous period).
2
Red Flags
<3.0 score → Urgent, 30%+ Detractor → Crisis, Specific department very low → Manager issue?
3
Root Cause Analysis
Focus groups, 1-1 interviews, word mapping (open-ended), exit interview cross-reference.
4
Action Plan
Quick wins (recognition program) + Strategic projects (career path). Prioritize with priority matrix.
5
Communication and Transparency
Share results, "We heard this, we'll do that" format, specify timeline, show progress.
Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2024: Next survey participation is 40% higher in companies taking action after surveys. Employees trust surveys when they see action.
Employee Engagement Survey with TestEd
TestEd allows you to manage the entire process from preparing engagement survey to results analysis on a single platform.
1
Ready Templates
Gallup Q12, eNPS, Pulse Survey, 25-question comprehensive engagement survey ready.
2
Mixed Test System
Likert + Multiple Choice + Open-ended mix. Category-based scoring.
3
AI Word Mapping
GPT-5 Mini analyzes open-ended responses, performs sentiment analysis.
4
Real-Time Dashboard
Live participation, department breakdown, trend charts, risk score.
5
Benchmark
Comparison with industry average, cross-departmental benchmarking.
6
Anonymity Guarantee
GDPR compliant, individual responses invisible, min 5-person group report.
Real Success Story
180-person fintech company started quarterly pulse survey with TestEd:
89%
Participation rate (previous 62%)
78%
Unclear career path theme
3.2→4.1
Engagement score after 6 months
28%→14%
Turnover decrease
Conclusion: Engagement Measurement is Now Essential
Measuring employee engagement is no longer a luxury, it's a competitive advantage. In-depth analysis with Gallup Q12, quick trend tracking with eNPS, continuous pulse measurement with pulse survey. Conducting surveys is not enough, turning them into action is essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should employee engagement surveys be conducted?
Comprehensive engagement surveys should be conducted 1-2 times per year, while pulse surveys (mini surveys) should be conducted weekly or monthly. According to Gartner's 2024 report, companies conducting quarterly measurements have 22% higher employee retention. Modern approach: Annual in-depth survey + monthly 3-5 question pulse survey combination provides ideal balance.
What is the difference between eNPS and Gallup Q12?
eNPS provides quick engagement pulse with one question (0-10 would you recommend?), trend tracking is easy. Gallup Q12 offers in-depth analysis with 12 questions, showing which area has issues. Ideal: eNPS monthly (quick trend), Gallup Q12 1-2 times per year (detailed action plan). Both methodologies are available as ready templates in TestEd.
Should engagement surveys be anonymous?
Yes, absolutely anonymous. According to SHRM 2024 research, anonymous surveys have 40% higher participation and 60% more honest responses. TestEd's anonymity guarantee: Individual responses invisible, only minimum 5-person group reports generated, data protected with GDPR-compliant infrastructure.
How to intervene with low engagement scores?
4-step action plan: 1) Identify problem area with category-based analysis, 2) Conduct root cause analysis with focus groups, 3) Define quick wins + Strategic projects, 4) Measure impact with pulse survey. Deloitte 2024: Companies taking action after surveys have 40% higher participation.
How many questions should a pulse survey have?
Ideal pulse survey should have 3-5 questions, completed in less than 2 minutes. Gartner recommendation: 2-3 fixed questions (for trends) + 1-2 rotating questions (for deep analysis). Participation rate should target 80%+.
What is the difference between TestEd and Google Forms?
Google Forms is a general survey tool, TestEd is a platform designed for enterprise engagement measurement. TestEd advantages: Gallup Q12/eNPS ready templates, category-based analysis, AI word mapping, department breakdown, benchmark dashboard, risk score system, anonymity guarantee. Contact us for detailed information.
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