What Is
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)?

Employee Net Promoter Score, What Is It?

Employee Net Promoter Score is one way of measuring the level of employee engagement and satisfaction within an organisation. It is derived from Net Promoter Score (NPS), a metric widely used in customer experience management. However, eNPS focuses specifically on the workforce, providing insights into how likely employees are to recommend their workplace to others and a way to identify the issues which need resolving to decrease attrition.

What Is The Difference Between NPS and eNPS?

Both NPS and eNPS use the same fundamental question - “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend [company/product] to a friend or colleague?”. NPS measures the probability of customers recommending a company’s products or services, while eNPS concentrates on employees’ likelihood to endorse their workplace as an appealing employer.

How eNPS is Calculated

The calculation of eNPS involves three main steps:

1. The “Recommend” Question:

Employees are asked to rate their likelihood of recommending their company as a place to work. It is important to note that the scale you use doesn’t matter, 0-10 is most common but calculating NPS on a 1-5 scale can work well.

2. Categorising Responses:

Based on their ratings, employees are categorised into three groups:

• Promoters: Employees who are enthusiastic about their workplace and likely to promote it to others.
• Passives: Employees who are satisfied with their workplace but may not actively promote it.
• Detractors: Employees who are dissatisfied with their workplace and may even discourage others from joining.

3. Calculating the Score:

The eNPS score is calculated the same way as NPS by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. The resulting score can range from -100 to +100, with higher scores indicating a more positive employee sentiment and stronger advocacy for the organisation.

The Benefits of Measuring eNPS

Measuring Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) offers a range of benefits:

Enhancing Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

eNPS surveys provide employees with a platform to voice their opinions and concerns, fostering a sense of engagement and ownership within the company. By actively soliciting feedback and most importantly, addressing that feedback, businesses can cultivate a more positive and supportive work environment, leading to increased job satisfaction.

Identifying Areas for Improvement in the Workplace

eNPS data offers valuable insights into the areas where employees feel the organisation can improve. Whether it’s addressing communication issues, enhancing training programs, or streamlining processes, businesses can use eNPS feedback to prioritise initiatives that have the greatest impact on employee satisfaction.

Improving Employee Retention Rates

A strong eNPS score is often indicative of high levels of employee loyalty and satisfaction. By proactively addressing concerns raised through eNPS surveys, businesses can reduce turnover rates and retain top talent. Investing in employee satisfaction not only saves on recruitment and training costs but also contributes to a more stable and productive workforce.

Creating a Positive Work Culture

Regularly measuring eNPS demonstrates a commitment to employee well-being and fosters a culture of open communication and continuous improvement. Employees feel valued and supported when their feedback is actively solicited and acted upon, leading to a more positive and collaborative work environment.

Linking Employee Satisfaction to Customer Satisfaction and Business Growth

Research has shown a direct correlation between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and business growth. Satisfied and engaged employees are more likely to deliver exceptional customer experiences, leading to increased customer loyalty and business success. By measuring eNPS alongside other key performance indicators, businesses can better understand the impact of employee satisfaction and drive sustainable growth.

In summary, measuring eNPS enables you to proactively address employee concerns, foster a positive work culture, and drive long-term business success through enhanced employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention.

Implementing eNPS in Your Workplace

Implementing Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) in your organisation requires careful planning and execution. Getting it wrong can be detrimental to employee satisfaction: If employees and see an eNPS programme as a ‘gesture’ without substance behind it, it runs the risk of being seen as ‘yet another annoyance’, and accelerating attrition.

To effectively implement eNPS, follow these steps:

Preparing for eNPS: Setting Goals and Expectations

Before launching Employee Net Promoter Score surveys, it’s essential to define clear targets and how you will measure them.

Determine what you would like to target with eNPS, whether it’s improving employee satisfaction, reducing turnover, xor fostering a positive work culture. Communicate these goals to stakeholders and ensure alignment across the business.

Crafting the eNPS Survey

When crafting the eNPS survey, consider the following:

• The Importance of Anonymity: Guaranteeing anonymity encourages honest and candid feedback from employees. Assure employees that their responses will be kept confidential to promote transparency and trust.
• Keeping the Survey Short and Focused: Keep the survey concise to maximise participation and minimise respondent fatigue. Focus on essential questions that provide actionable insights into employee sentiment and engagement.
• Taking Action: Explain what action will be taken based on the results obtained, along with setting realistic expectations for what will realistically happen and over what timeframe.

Best Practices for Distributing the eNPS Survey

Getting the right survey to the right employees at the right time is key to eNPS success. Our tips will help you get it right:

Timing and Frequency

Choose appropriate timing for survey distribution to capture employees’ experiences at relevant moments, such as after significant organisational changes or events. Consider surveying employees regularly to track trends over time and measure the impact of initiatives.

Real-time feedback is much ‘fresher’ and based on actual events in the employee’s journey with the company, rather than something they vaguely remember happening 10 months ago. This immediacy ensures the feedback is accurate and relevant, providing more actionable insights.

It also prevents overwhelming the people tasked with making changes. By distributing surveys consistently over time rather than all at once, you avoid a scenario where employees receive 500 requests simultaneously, which they then have to prioritise. Instead, feedback is managed in smaller, more manageable batches, allowing for timely responses.

Choosing the Right Platform for Deployment

Select a survey platform that meets your company’s needs in terms of functionality, ease of use, and data security. Whether using internal survey tools or third-party platforms, ensure compatibility with your systems and processes, and most importantly ensure that your supplier is able to work in partnership with you in this sensitive area.

Acting on The eNPS Data Collected

Analysing Employee Net Promoter Score feedback is essential for deriving meaningful insights and driving change within your workplace. Here’s how to effectively act on eNPS data:

Based on eNPS feedback, develop action plans to:

• Address Detractor Concerns: Prioritise addressing the concerns raised by Detractors to mitigate dissatisfaction and prevent turnover. Identify common themes and root causes behind their responses, and develop targeted initiatives to address these issues.
• Leverage Promoter Insights to spread best-practice more widely: Capitalise on insights provided by Promoters to reinforce positive aspects of the workplace and identify areas of strength to build upon. Promoters can offer valuable suggestions for enhancing employee engagement and satisfaction.

Communicating Findings and Actions to Employees

Ensure transparency and accountability by:

• Communicating Findings: Share eNPS results and corresponding action plans with employees in a transparent and accessible manner. Provide the rationale behind proposed initiatives and demonstrate a commitment to addressing employee feedback.

• Fostering Trust: Foster an environment of trust and open communication by actively soliciting employee input and involving them in the decision-making process. Encourage dialogue and feedback loops to ensure that employees feel heard and valued.

Final Thoughts

Employee Net Promoter Score serves as a valuable tool for businesses looking to improve their customer experience by improving their employee experience. By measuring employee sentiment and capturing feedback on what you need to do to foster continuous growth, and ultimately enhance overall employee experience.

We encourage you to embrace eNPS to better understand and address employee needs and concerns. By prioritising employee satisfaction and engagement, you can cultivate a workplace environment that retains top talent, fosters innovation, and drives sustainable business growth.

Although we’re best-known for being a partner to successful Voice of the Customer projects, we also help our clients with employee experience programmes that get meaningful results. If you’re looking at starting (or renewing) a eNPS project, why not reach out to our team? We’d love to work together to increase your employee engagement, improve your workplace culture, and ultimately improve your bottom line.