Employee Net Promoter Score, i.e. your eNPS, is a crucial metric that can reveal a disconnect between your company’s impressive metrics and the reality of employee engagement.
Picture this: despite competitive pay and benefits, your best talent is heading for the exit. Engagement is dropping, and those troubling exit interviews blindsided you completely.
Here’s where the Employee Net Promoter Score comes in. It’s the pulse check that companies like Apple and Google use to spot engagement issues before they become exodus events. Simple to measure, powerful to act on.
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to calculate, interpret, and improve your eNPS to build stronger teams. No fluff, just actionable steps.
Let’s begin.
What is eNPS?
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a simple way to measure how much your employees like working at your company. It’s based on a single question: “How likely are you to recommend working here to a friend?”
Just like how companies use NPS to measure customer satisfaction, eNPS helps track employee satisfaction. The higher your score, the happier your employees are likely to be.
It’s valuable because it:
👉 Takes minutes to implement
👉 Is easy to calculate
👉 Shows if your workplace culture is healthy
👉 Helps spot problems before they grow
👉 Tracks if your employee initiatives are working
Before we proceed further, let us quickly understand the difference between the employee-focused eNPS and the customer-focused NPS to clear any sort of confusion:
What is the Difference between NPS and eNPS?
While NPS and eNPS share the same scoring method, they serve different purposes. NPS tracks how customers feel about your product, while eNPS measures how employees feel about your workplace.
Understanding these differences is crucial for using each metric effectively. Here’s a clear breakdown:
| Aspect | NPS (Net Promoter Score) | eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) |
| Purpose | Measures customer loyalty and satisfaction | Measures employee loyalty and engagement |
| Target Audience | Customers or clients | Employees |
| Primary Question | “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others?” | “How likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work?” |
| Value | Usually, 0 or positive | Sometimes, it can be a negative value. |
How to Calculate Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)?
Calculating the eNPS is a pretty straightforward process.
Step 1: Ask the Core Question
Ask your employees: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this company as a place to work?”
This question can effectively gauge employees’ overall sentiment towards your organization and how likely they are to recommend your organization as a great place to work.
Step 2: Group Your Responses
Sort all responses into three groups:
1. Promoters (9-10): Your enthusiastic advocates
2. Passives (7-8): Your neutral employees
3. Detractors (0-6): Your dissatisfied employees
- Promoters (scores 9-10): These are highly satisfied employees who are likely to recommend your organization. They have experienced high levels of engagement and are loyal.
- Passives (scores 7-8): These employees are somewhat satisfied. But they are not too enthusiastic to promote your organization to others. They could be easily swayed by better offers or work conditions elsewhere.
- Detractors (scores 0-6): These employees are dissatisfied with your working environment. They are highly disengaged and may negatively impact the company culture. They can also damage your organization’s reputation if they share their views outside.
Step 3: Do the Math
eNPS is calculated by the following formula:
eNPS = % of Promoters − % of Detractors For instance, if 40% of respondents are Promoters, 30% are Passives, and 30% are Detractors, the eNPS calculation would be: eNPS = 40 − 30 = 10 |
An eNPS score of 10 indicates you’re in positive territory, which is encouraging – more employees are promoting than criticizing your organization. However, there’s still significant room for improvement. While not a cause for alarm, this score suggests opportunities exist to turn your passives (neutral employees) into promoters and address concerns that may be creating detractors.
Is your eNPS good or bad? We talk more about it below.
What is a Good Employee Net Promoter Score?
A good Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is generally considered to fall within specific ranges that indicate employee sentiment towards the organization. Here’s a breakdown:
- Above 70: Exceptional score, indicating a highly engaged workforce that actively promotes the organization.
- 50 to 70: Excellent score, reflecting strong employee satisfaction and loyalty.
- 30 to 50: Good score, showing more promoters than detractors but with room for improvement.
- 10 to 30: Acceptable score, suggesting that while there are more promoters, significant issues may still exist.
- 0 to 10: Neutral score, indicating an equal number of promoters and detractors, which may signal potential problems.
- Below 0: Alarmingly low score, indicating more detractors than promoters, requiring immediate attention to address employee dissatisfaction.
Overall, scores between 10 and 30 are typically seen as acceptable, while anything above 50 is viewed as excellent.
5 Reasons Why You Should Measure Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)?
Measuring eNPS offers several unique benefits to your organization, particularly those revolving around improved employee satisfaction and engagement. Here are the key ones:
1. Catch Red Flags Before They Turn into Resignations
Employee attrition is a major challenge for organizations, often linked to low engagement. eNPS helps you spot signs of disengagement before they lead to resignations. By regularly checking eNPS scores, you can identify teams that may be unhappy and take proactive steps to address their concerns, helping you retain valuable talent.
2. Make HR Decisions Based on Real Data
eNPS offers concrete data on employee satisfaction, moving HR decisions beyond gut feelings. With a clear score reflecting employee sentiment, you can make informed strategic choices.
For instance, if the marketing team’s eNPS score is low, you can investigate their specific issues and implement targeted improvements.
3. See Where You Stand in Your Industry
eNPS allows you to compare your organization’s performance with industry benchmarks. This external perspective helps identify strengths and weaknesses relative to competitors, guiding your efforts to enhance employee experience and refine policies.
4. Link Employee Happiness to Company Success
The correlation between employee satisfaction and productivity is nothing new. Happier employees tend to be more motivated and productive. By improving eNPS, you foster a more motivated workforce, which can lead to better performance and ultimately contribute to the company’s success.
5. Get Quick, Clear Feedback
Unlike lengthy surveys that may deter participation, eNPS relies on a single question. This simplicity encourages more employees to share their thoughts, providing a clear snapshot of engagement trends without overwhelming them with detailed questionnaires.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at how you can calculate the employee net promoter score in 3 simple steps.
How to Improve Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)?
Here are some tried and tested ways to improve the eNPS score in your organization:
1. Address Employee Feedback
To enhance your organization’s eNPS, start by addressing employee feedback. Conduct regular eNPS surveys and consider adding open-ended questions to gain deeper insights into employee sentiments.
Identify common themes in the responses to address underlying concerns, and develop action plans based on this feedback. Communicating changes will build trust and encourage future participation.
2. Promote Work-Life Balance
Promoting work-life balance is crucial for employee satisfaction and can positively impact eNPS scores. Offer flexible work options, such as remote work and flexible schedules, and create a culture that encourages employees to take vacation days.
Implement wellness programs, like mindfulness sessions and gym memberships, to support employees’ mental and physical health.
3. Build an Inclusive Workplace Culture
Building an inclusive workplace culture fosters a sense of belonging among employees. Conduct diversity and inclusion training to help employees appreciate different perspectives, and establish Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for underrepresented groups. Recognizing cultural events can also strengthen community ties within the organization.
4. Enhance Communication
Enhancing communication is key to building trust. Encourage open dialogue across all levels of the organization and promote approachable leadership. Schedule one-on-one meetings and team meetings to facilitate honest discussions and keep employees informed about any company changes.
With Peoplebox, you can schedule regular one-on-ones in seconds. Try it yourself!
5. Recognize and Reward Employees
Recognizing and rewarding employees is essential for motivation. Implement recognition programs that honor contributions through awards or shout-outs during meetings. Encouraging peer recognition can also foster a supportive team culture.
6. Focus on Professional Development
Finally, focus on professional development opportunities to increase job satisfaction and retention. Offer skill-building programs that help employees advance in their roles, outline clear growth paths within the organization, and connect employees with mentors for guidance and support.
✅ Best Practices to Follow in eNPS Surveys
While running an eNPS survey and interpreting its results is not a complex task, following some best practices will ensure that you get the most out of this exercise. Here are they:
- Share Results Transparently
Communicate survey results openly with employees. This shows that their feedback is valued, boosts morale, and promotes accountability by highlighting areas for improvement. - Regularly Review eNPS Scores
Consistently monitor eNPS scores to identify trends and shifts in employee sentiment. This proactive approach allows you to make timely adjustments to enhance the employee experience. - Maintain Consistency in Timing and Format
Conduct surveys at regular intervals using a standardized format. This consistency helps track changes in sentiment and encourages employee participation. - Ensure Anonymity and Confidentiality
Guarantee that responses are anonymous to foster open and honest feedback. This creates a safe space for employees to share their genuine opinions, leading to more accurate insights. - Combine eNPS with Other Data Points
Enhance the insights from eNPS by integrating data from engagement surveys or specific initiatives. A multi-layered approach provides a comprehensive view of employee satisfaction. - Benchmark Against Industry Standards
Compare your eNPS with industry benchmarks to contextualize your score. This helps identify strengths and areas for improvement relative to competitors.
🥨 How can Peoplebox Help Improve Your Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)?
While Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a valuable metric for measuring workforce satisfaction, the real challenge lies in gathering meaningful insights and taking timely action to improve it.
Traditional annual reviews often fail to capture real-time employee sentiment, leading to delayed responses to emerging issues. This is where structured, frequent review cycles become essential.
Here’s how Peoplebox’s review management system helps organizations stay ahead:
1. Faster Insight Generation
- Conduct quick pulse surveys to understand employee sentiment
- Get immediate feedback through structured 1:1 meetings
- Enable anonymous feedback channels for honest communication
2. Data-Driven Decision Making
- Track trends in employee satisfaction over time
- Identify patterns across teams and departments
- Compare results with industry benchmarks to set meaningful goals
3. Actionable Follow-Through
- Create targeted action plans based on feedback
- Monitor progress through OKR tracking
- Ensure accountability with regular check-ins
Regular review cycles do more than just collect data—they demonstrate your commitment to employee growth and satisfaction. To know more about Peoplebox and its rich feature set, book a demo now.
Frequently Asked Questions on Employee Net Promoter Score
What is the Net Promoter Score NPS for employees?
The Net Promoter Score NPS for employees is also called eNPS. Like the customer NPS survey, which captures customer loyalty, the eNPS employee experience metric captures employee loyalty and how likely they are to recommend your company as a good place of work.
Can eNPS accurately predict employee retention?
Certainly. The employee NPS survey results can give you a good idea about your people and culture initiatives and how satisfied your employees are in your organization. This, in turn, can impact how likely they are to stay with you in the long run.
How does eNPS differ from other employee engagement metrics?
eNPS focuses specifically on measuring employee loyalty. Unlike other engagement metrics and employee satisfaction surveys, eNPS provides a simple, actionable score that reflects overall employee sentiment. It also allows for direct benchmarking against industry competitors.
