Alright, let’s talk about employee engagement. Not the tick a box kind. Not the annual “how are you feeling?” survey that gets talked about for a few weeks and no clear next step. I’m talking about engagement that actually moves the dial on retention, performance and profit.
Because the culture we create really does matter. And the data backs it up.
Sentiment vs engagement – they are not the same thing
This is where a lot of organisations go wrong.
Sentiment measures how people feel in a moment.
Do I feel busy? Supported? Frustrated? Tired? Optimistic?
That information isn’t useless. It can be helpful as a temperature check. But sentiment is reactive. It shifts with workload, life, the last meeting someone sat through, or whether the coffee machine is broken and nothing is going to make them love work that week.
Engagement is different.
Engagement measures whether the conditions for high performance actually exist.
It looks at clarity, expectations, connection to purpose, access to the tools people need, relationships at work, and whether effort is recognised.
In other words, engagement measures the system people are working inside of, not just their mood on the day.
That’s why sentiment surveys often lead to well-meaning but scattered actions. A few perks here. A morning tea there. Social clubs. Maybe a wellness initiative that sounds good but doesn’t fix the underlying issues.
Engagement data tells you where to focus so your effort actually pays off.
“Sentiment tells you how people feel. Engagement tells you how your business is designed to perform.”
Why we use Engagement Champions powered by Gallup Q12
At the core of Engagement Champions is the Gallup Q12. Twelve multiple choice questions. That’s it.
But don’t let the simplicity fool you, because it packs a punch.
The Q12 is built on decades of global research linking employee engagement to hard business outcomes. Not opinions. Not trends. Outcomes.
Gallup has analysed data from millions of employees (3.3 million workers across 100,000+ teams) across industries and countries. What they’ve consistently found is this:
Highly engaged teams see
– 83% lower absenteeism
– 43% lower turnover
– 17% higher profitability
Those numbers aren’t aspirational. They’re evidence-based.
And the reason the Q12 works is because each question is tied to a specific performance lever. Clarity. Expectations. Recognition. Development. Belonging. Purpose.
This is why I say engagement isn’t a vibe. It’s the result of intentional design and leadership choices.
Engagement is a leadership system, not an HR initiative
One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that engagement lives with HR.
It doesn’t.
HR can support it. Measure it. Design frameworks around it. But engagement shows up, or falls apart, in day-to-day leadership.
Do people know what’s expected of them?
Do they have what they need to do their job properly?
Does anyone notice when they do good work?
Is there trust in the team?
Do people see a future for themselves here?
The Q12 doesn’t ask random questions. It asks the questions people subconsciously answer every day when deciding whether to stay, leave, or mentally check out.
Engagement Champions is about helping leaders understand those answers and then do something useful with them.
“When engagement improves, people stay longer, care more, and contribute more. The financial impact follows.”
Let’s talk money, because engagement has a return
I know engagement can sound “nice to have” until you attach a dollar figure to it.
If engagement initiatives reduce turnover by even a small margin, the savings on recruitment, onboarding, lost productivity and burnout are significant.
Then layer in the 17% increase in profitability Gallup consistently reports for highly engaged teams.
This isn’t about spending more. It’s about spending smarter. Fixing the root causes that quietly cost businesses money every single day. Get the foundations right and everything else becomes easier.
When engagement improves, people stay longer.
They take fewer fake sickies.
They care about doing a good job.
They stop coasting and start contributing.
And that flows straight through to your bottom line.
Why measurement matters before action
One of the things I’m most passionate about is stopping leaders from guessing.
Guessing what employees want.
Guessing what’s broken.
Guessing which initiative might help.
Engagement Champions removes the guesswork.
It gives you clear data, grounded in global research, translated for your business, your region, your workforce. From there, we design actions that actually align to what your people need to perform well.
Without data to back you up you might as well get the Magic Eightball out and start shaking. This isn’t about performative actions. This is the real work.
The real work behind sustainable results
If your goal is to reduce turnover, lift performance, and build a workplace people want to stay in, engagement has to be intentional.
Not loud. Not complicated. Intentional.
Engagement Champions, powered by the Gallup Q12, sits right in that space between compliance and outcomes. It connects leadership behaviour, job design and culture to the results you care about.
Because the culture we create doesn’t just shape work.
It shapes people’s lives, their families, and the communities they’re part of.
And that’s work worth doing properly.