Back to all blog posts
Every company dreams of having an army of employees who rave about their workplace. Imagine your people enthusiastically recommending your company to their friends, former colleagues, or LinkedIn connections. That’s exactly what employee net promoter score (eNPS) measures.
This guide explains eNPS in more detail, including its benefits, how to measure it, and what to do with the results.
Employee net promoter score, or eNPS, is a metric that describes how likely employees are to recommend their employer as a fantastic place to work. It’s based on the Net Promoter Score (NPS), traditionally used to gauge customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Just as businesses want their customers to spread the word about their company brand, they also want their workforce to wax lyrical about their employer brand. Applying the NPS concept internally allows organizations to assess employee sentiment and loyalty in a simple yet powerful way.
The eNPS survey asks employees a single question:
“On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a great place to work?”
Based on their responses, employees are categorized into three groups:
The NPS metric was developed in 2003 by consultants Bain and Company and is widely acknowledged as the gold standard of customer loyalty and satisfaction. Both eNPS and NPS are an important way to view a company’s holistic health using a simple promoter-detractor scale, but they share key differences:
There are plenty of metrics for companies to track, but here’s why eNPS should be on your radar:
Remember: We’re looking for high eNPS scores of at least 7 or more, and preferably 9 and 10. When companies hit this mark, it’s a great marker of their ability to retain and engage their employees. But if they have too many workers who fall into the detractor category (scoring 6 or less,) this is a clear indicator that disengagement has taken root.
Long-form employee engagement surveys can be time-consuming and cumbersome, but eNPS is a lightweight way to gauge employee sentiment through quick feedback. As it involves just one core question, it minimizes survey fatigue while still providing valuable insights.
Companies with a strong eNPS hint at a positive workplace culture that makes it easier to attract and retain high-caliber candidates. While eNPS scores aren’t typically in the public domain, those with impressive figures may choose to publish theirs as part of their talent acquisition strategy.
eNPS scores shine a spotlight on leadership effectiveness and workplace policies. If scores drop after a significant organizational change, such as restructuring or policy shifts, leadership can step in and address concerns. Conversely, rising eNPS scores validate that HR and leadership strategies are working.
eNPS surveys are fast and easy to analyze, so you should collect this data regularly as part of an open feedback culture where employees feel heard. Companies willing to act on their eNPS scores demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement, leading to higher morale and stronger workplace engagement.
A well-structured eNPS process gives HR and leadership teams clear insights into employee sentiment and provides a starting point for improving your workplace.
To gather accurate and insightful eNPS data, follow these five key steps:
The best survey tool should be easy to access and allow for anonymous responses. You might choose an HR platform, an engagement survey tool, or a simple Google Form.
eNPS results are only useful when your employees are willing to answer your survey. Encourage this with a strong eNPS invitation that outlines what you’re trying to achieve. This should:
Example:
“Your valuable feedback helps us improve our workplace. This quick survey is completely anonymous and will take less than a minute to complete.”
An anonymous survey ensures higher participation rates and more genuine insights. Why? It’s human nature. Employees may hesitate to provide truthful feedback if they worry about being identified or fear repercussions based on the score they provide.
Your employees are busy, and filling in yet another company form may not be their top priority. Get around this by setting a reasonable deadline (e.g., one to two weeks) and then send polite reminders to encourage participation.
The eNPS question provides quantifiable data, but it doesn’t explain the “why” behind employees’ responses. Adding an optional open-ended question like “What’s the primary reason for your score?” gives HR and leadership valuable context to interpret the results. But don’t go overboard here and make it into a list. Short and sweet is the motto.
Once you’ve collected your responses, it’s straightforward to calculate eNPS using this formula: eNPS = (% Promoters) minus (% Detractors)
Important: Don’t include Passives in the final score calculation, as they’re considered neutral.
Let’s break it down with an example:
Total survey responses: 100 employees
eNPS = (55 % − 20%) = 35
Summary: The company’s eNPS score is 35.
Once you’ve calculated your eNPS score, the next step is interpreting the results:
The numbers below aren’t set in stone but are well-regarded as broad eNPS benchmarks:
A single eNPS score is just a snapshot, but tracking it quarterly or annually spots trends. If your eNPS scores are rising, your employee retention, engagement, and cultural initiatives may be working. But if they fall, that’s a strong sign you should start investigating.
Breaking down eNPS results by department, location, tenure, or job role can pinpoint specific areas for improvement. If a certain team reports lower eNPS scores, it may indicate leadership or engagement challenges.
If you’re tracking eNPS for a small company, take care that your segmentation doesn’t inadvertently damage any employee’s right to anonymity. For example, if you only have any one-person departments, it will be easy to reveal their score.
Once the survey deadline is hit and you’ve analyzed the results, the next step is to share the key takeaways with your people. For example, you might acknowledge the data in a company newsletter or announce the information in a company all-hands meeting.
Whatever your communication vehicle, the point is to share how leadership plans to act on the results and prove that you care about the employee voice. Fail to do this, and don’t be surprised if your employees don’t participate in your eNPS survey next time.
eNPS is simplistic, which is part of its beauty and its limitations. While it’s an excellent starting point, let’s look at four common pitfalls and how to address them:
eNPS scores don’t provide the full picture of employee satisfaction and engagement. It’s crucial to have a deeper understanding of why employees feel the way they do, so follow up with open-ended questions or additional engagement or pulse surveys to gather more context.
Some employees may feel pressured to give a positive response, even if they’re not truly satisfied. Combat this by ensuring anonymity and communicating that honest feedback is valued.
eNPS provides valuable insights, but it’s important not to get too caught up in the numbers. Remember every score represents a real employee with their own unique experiences and perspectives. Use eNPS as a starting point for deeper discussions and actions rather than relying solely on the data.
Passive respondents make up the bulky middle section of your eNPS section. While they’re omitted from the calculation, that’s not a good reason to forget about them. Passive respondents have scored either 7 or 8, but it probably wouldn’t take much to boost an 8 into a 9, or tank a score of 7 to a 6.
Consider how many passive respondents you have, then put together a strategy to dig deeper. For example, in a separate survey, you might ask questions like:
Don’t be disheartened if your current eNPS score isn’t worth bragging about. As long as you’re committed to taking action, there are several things you can do to improve it:
The most important step is to acknowledge the concerns and feedback provided by your most demotivated employees. If you've used an open text box asking employees to explain their score, this should be your first point of reference. Look for red flags like:
If you don’t have this qualitative feedback to work from, take steps to engage with your workers directly. Communicate to your company members that your latest eNPS survey results are disappointing and you’d like to improve their employee experience. Invite people to participate in a follow-up survey, hold focus groups, or open up a channel for anonymous feedback.
Your eNPS survey may be anonymous, but your promoters are probably already known to you as engaged, passionate individuals that love working for your company. Engage them by:
Consider what initiatives you have in place to foster employee engagement and satisfaction. Are they effective? Are they reaching the right people? Take a look at your survey results and see if there are any areas that could benefit from additional support or resources. For example, if employee work-life balance is a common concern, consider implementing flexible work arrangements or offering mental health resources.
Employee loyalty is far easier to achieve if leaders are proactive in trying to improve their experience. That doesn’t mean you need to deliver “everything” your employees want—that may not be feasible. But you can acknowledge feedback head-on and explain what is and isn't possible.
Example: A company with a low eNPS score runs a follow-up survey to improve employee engagement. Using a wider range of qualitative data, the company learns that employees want more opportunities for learning and growth. There’s not enough room in the budget to provide formal training courses for employees this year, but leaders announce the introduction of a mentorship program instead, pairing seasoned employees with more junior personnel. Employee satisfaction increases as a result.
eNPS is just one snapshot metric that is best propped up by a range of other metrics to provide the full picture. Pair your eNPS feedback with the following to understand your company’s health:
A great eNPS score reflects a workplace employees genuinely love, and that’s much easier to achieve when you’re offering a rich selection of benefits with flexibility at their core.
The Benepass Lifestyle Spending Account is just one example of a post-tax perk that will delight your employees. Here’s how it works:
Ready for a boost of your eNPS score? Book a free Benepass demo today or contact sales@getbenepass.com to connect with a benefits specialist.
