How To Assess Employee Engagement - Twelve Questions To Measure Workforce Retention

Successful organizations need to support people in order for them to be fully committed to help execute the strategy of the organization. A healthy work environment is essential for an engaged workforce.

In my executive coaching and leadership consulting with companies and law firms and accountancy firms retaining talent is frequently a strategic imperative. Unfortunately, most of my client organizations need to do a better job of engaging their workforce. Company and firm leaders need to be more aware of why people stay and why they leave.

You may find the following questions a useful measure of how happy your people are at work.

Research by the Gallup Organization produced 12 questions which work to distinguish the strongest departments of a company. This essential measuring stick provides the link between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction and the rate of turnover.

1. I know what is expected of me at work.*

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

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 good work.

5. My supervisor or the person I report to seems to care about me as a person.*

6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.

7. In the last six months, someone at work has talked with me about my progress.*

8. At work, my opinions seem to count.

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

10. My associates (fellow employees) are committed to doing quality work.

11. I have a best friend at work.

12. The last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

These 12 questions are the simplest and most accurate way to measure the strength of a workplace.

*Further analysis revealed that five of these questions are linked to retention: numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. When employees score high marks on these five questions; the company has a strong retention factor. As a manager, if you want to build high retention, then securing high marks to these five questions is a good place to start.

How engaged is your workforce?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQi and CPI 260 can help you become a more inspiring leader who builds a retention culture. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

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Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams.

We provide strategic talent management solutions to select and develop emotionally intelligent leaders and lawyers.

The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded two rare "Board Approved" designations for Dr. Maynard Brusman in the specialties of Executive/Leadership Coaching and Trusted Advisor to Attorneys and Law Firms.

Dr. Maynard Brusman

Working Resources

P.O. Box 471525 San Francisco, California 94147-1525

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E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com

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