Employee Engagement Check — the Q12 Framework

Gallup distilled decades of workplace research into twelve questions that predict engagement, retention and performance. This check maps those twelve drivers into an engagement pulse your team can run and discuss.

Run in TeamRetro

Twelve questions that predict whether people stay — and thrive.

Gallup's Q12 grew out of interviews with over a million employees: twelve drivers that consistently predict engagement, retention and performance, arranged as a four-level hierarchy from basic needs up to growth. These twelve drivers map into a team engagement pulse you can run and discuss together. (Wording here is TeamRetro's own, mapped to the framework; the official Q12 is Gallup's.)

Dimensions

Basic needs (What do I get?)

The foundational conditions people need before anything else — clarity on expectations and the resources to deliver.

  • Expectations

    I'm clear on what's expected of me in my role.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Resources

    I have the tools and resources I need to do my job well.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

Support (What do I give?)

Whether people feel their contribution is valued — through strengths, recognition, care and development.

  • Strengths

    My role lets me use my strengths every day.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Recognition

    Good work here gets noticed and acknowledged.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Caring

    My manager and teammates care about me as a person.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Development

    Someone here actively supports my growth.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

Belonging (Do I belong?)

Whether people feel heard, connected to a shared purpose, and part of a team that cares about quality.

  • Voice

    My opinions are heard and taken into account.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Purpose

    Our team's purpose makes my work feel meaningful.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Quality commitment

    My teammates are committed to doing high-quality work.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Belonging

    I have strong, supportive relationships at work.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

Growth (How do we grow?)

Whether people see progress and real opportunities to learn and develop over time.

  • Progress

    I get regular, useful feedback on my progress.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

  • Learning

    I have real opportunities to learn and grow here.

    • Strongly disagree
    • Neutral
    • Strongly agree

When to use this health check

  • Run as a quarterly engagement pulse to keep a steady read on how your team is doing.
  • Use it to unpack a company-wide engagement-survey result together as a team.
  • Reach for it when retention or morale is a concern and you want to pinpoint the drivers behind it.

Tips & tricks

  • The four levels build on each other — fix basic needs before expecting the growth items to move.
  • Run it anonymously and watch the spread of responses, not just the averages.
  • Re-run on a steady cadence so you can read the trend over time.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Gallup Q12?
The Gallup Q12 is a set of twelve questions Gallup identified from decades of workplace research as the strongest predictors of employee engagement, retention and performance. They are arranged as a four-level hierarchy — from basic needs up to growth — that describes what people need to feel engaged at work.
Can we use the exact Gallup questions?
No — the verbatim Q12 items are Gallup's intellectual property and "Q12" is a registered trademark. This check uses TeamRetro's own wording mapped to the twelve concepts, which is safe to publish. If you need the official items, license the Q12 directly from Gallup.
What are the four levels of engagement?
Gallup's engagement hierarchy has four levels: Basic needs (What do I get?), Support (What do I give?), Belonging (Do I belong?), and Growth (How do we grow?). Each level builds on the one below it, so it helps to address the foundational needs before expecting the higher-level drivers to improve.