Gallup Q12 Levers
I know what is expected of me at work.
I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
There is someone at work who encourages my development.
At work, my opinions seem to count.
The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
I have a best friend at work.
In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
Leadership Behaviors Reference
These codes appear in the Q12 levers above to show the connection
Walking the Talk
Leaders demonstrate consistency between their words and actions, building trust and credibility.
Empowerment
Leaders delegate authority and give employees autonomy to make decisions and own their work.
Challenging the Status Quo
Leaders encourage innovation, questioning existing processes, and driving continuous improvement.
Inspiring a Shared Vision
Leaders articulate a compelling future and connect individual work to organizational purpose.
Recognition & Valuing People
Leaders regularly acknowledge contributions and demonstrate genuine care for employees.
About the Gallup Q12 Framework
The Gallup Q12 is a 12-question employee engagement survey built on a hierarchy of needs. The framework consists of four levels: Base Camp (basic needs), Camp 1 (individual contribution), Camp 2 (teamwork and belonging), and Camp 3 (growth). The idea is that foundational needs must be met before employees can become more engaged. The 2020 meta-analysis of the Q12 found a true score correlation of 0.49 between employee engagement and a composite measure of performance outcomes. Highly engaged business units have significantly better outcomes, including higher profitability, productivity, and customer ratings, and lower turnover and absenteeism.
Weighting Methodology
This simulator uses equal weights for all 12 items, reflecting Gallup's research-validated approach of treating the Q12 as a composite measure. The hierarchical structure (Base Camp → Camp 1 → Camp 2 → Camp 3) reflects the prerequisite nature of foundational items—lower-level needs should be addressed before higher-level engagement can be achieved. Gallup does not publish individual item weights publicly; the equal weighting approach is the most academically defensible methodology.
📚Research Sources
This simulator's methodology is based on peer-reviewed research and official Gallup publications. Baseline engagement figures (21% Highly Engaged, 2% Engaged, 62% Disengaged, 15% Highly Disengaged) are sourced from the Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2024/2025 Report.
Harter, J.K., Schmidt, F.L., Agrawal, S., Blue, A., Plowman, S.K., Josh, P., & Asplund, J. (2020). Gallup.
Meta-analysis of 456 studies across 276 organizations (2.7M employees, 112,312 business units, 96 countries). Found true score correlation of 0.49 between Q12 engagement composite and performance outcomes. The Q12 is validated as a composite measure, not individual items.
Gallup (2024). Gallup.
Global engagement at 21% (engaged), 62% (not engaged), 15% (actively disengaged). Manager engagement critical—accounts for 70% of variance in team engagement.
Gallup (2023). Gallup.
The Q12 framework is structured as a developmental hierarchy: Basic Needs (Q1-Q2), Individual Contribution (Q3-Q6), Teamwork & Belonging (Q7-Q10), and Growth (Q11-Q12). Foundational needs must be met before higher engagement levels can be achieved.