Employee net promoter score (eNPS) helps employers understand how likely employees are to recommend it as a place to work.
Alongside other employee satisfaction metrics, this score helps organizations understand employee engagement, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies to enhance workplace satisfaction and loyalty.
Keep reading as we’ll discuss what eNPS is, how to measure and calculate it, and tips for how to improve your employee net promoter score.
What is Employee Net Promoter Score?
Employee net promoter score or eNPS is a metric used by organizations to gauge employees' overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommending their workplace to others. It is derived from the concept of Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is similarly used for customer loyalty and how likely a customer is to recommend their organization, products, or services.
How to Measure NPS for Employees
In our experience, the best way to measure eNPS is by conducting employee surveys.
In the survey, employees are asked a specific question: How likely are you to recommend [Company] as a place to work?
Employees share their answer on a rating scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is not at all likely and 10 is extremely likely.
Based on their responses, employees are categorized into three groups:
- Promoters are those who are very likely to recommend the employer and select a rating of 9 to 10.
- Passives are somewhat likely to recommend the employer and select a rating of 7 or 8.
- Detractors are unlikely to recommend the employer and select a rating of 0 to 6.
Ideally, organizations want to see as many promoters as possible and as few detractors as possible.
How to Calculate Employee Net Promoter Score
The eNPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters, providing a score that can range from -100 to +100.
eNPS Example
Let's walk through an example of calculating employee net promoter score.
Let's say we conducted an employee survey asking 500 employees how likely they are to recommend Otto Enterprises as a place to work.
For example, if the results were:
- 30% selected a rating of 10
- 34% selected a rating of 9
- 10% selected a rating of 8
- 10% selected a rating of 7
- 10% selected a rating of 6
- 1% selected a rating of 5
- 1% selected a rating of 4
- 1% selected a rating of 3
- 1% selected a rating of 2
- 1% selected a rating of 1
- 1% selected a rating of 0
The eNPS groups are:
- 64% promoters
- 20% passives
- 16% detractors
Now, let's plug these values into the formula:
eNPS = (% of promoters) - (% of detractors)
eNPS = 64 - 16
Based on these results the eNPS score is +48.
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What is a Good Net Promoter Score for Employees?
A good employee net promoter score typically varies by industry and company, but generally, a score above 0 is considered positive, as it indicates that there are more promoters than detractors.
Specifically, a score of 10 to 30 suggests a healthy level of employee satisfaction and engagement, while scores above 30 are seen as excellent, reflecting a highly engaged and satisfied workforce.
Exceptional scores, often above 50, indicate a very strong organizational culture and a high likelihood of employees recommending the company as a great place to work.
Tips for Improving Employee Net Promoter Score
Measure additional metrics in your employee survey
Rather than just asking one question to measure eNPS it is best practice to measure other metrics to understand your rating.
In addition to asking how likely an employee is to recommend your organization as a place to work, include a follow up open-ended question that asks employees to explain their rating.
Additionally, asking other employee survey questions surrounding what factors drive employee satisfaction and areas of improvement for the organization can provide clear answers for how to improve your eNPS.
If using a third party for employee surveys, they can recommend the best employee satisfaction metrics to measure and interpret alongside net promoter score.
Benchmark your eNPS rating
The results of eNPS should also be benchmarked to past results, similar organizations, and/or the industry overall. This helps employers put the results of eNPS into perspective, while the score by itself is less meaningful and provides little context.
Also, comparing results year over year will showcase if the actions your organization is taking to improve employee satisfaction are actually working.
For example, as a way to improve their eNPS, a company starts offering catered lunches on Fridays. Though, when measuring their eNPS again a year later, their score has not improved. This signals that the catered lunches are not moving the needle.
Provide opportunities for growth and development
From our experience conducting employee surveys among several different industry sizes and sectors, employees are more likely to be engaged and loyal if they see a path for personal and professional growth within the organization.
Therefore we recommend implementing training programs, mentorship programs, and providing clear steps for how to advance within the company.
Improve work-life balance
This is a big one! Employees who have a healthy work-life balance are generally more satisfied and productive. In fact, 95% of HR professionals consider staff burnout a top contributing factor to poor employee retention.
If your type of work allows, try offering flexible working hours or remote work options to help employees manage their personal and professional lives.
Plus, always ensure workloads are reasonable and that employees are not consistently overworked, which can lead to burnout.
Recommended Reading: Organizational Strategies for Promoting Work-Life Balance
Contact Our Employee Survey Company
Drive Research is a national employee engagement research company. Our team has the knowledge and tools to design a robust employee engagement survey with eNPS ratings.
Interested in learning more about employee research with Drive Research? Contact us today.
Contact us through any of the four ways below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Emily Taylor
As Director of Operations, Emily does more than wrangle data. Her work includes executing company OKRs, company-wide project management, training/onboarding, team culture initiatives, and more!
Learn more about Emily, here.
