Measuring how your employees feel about your organization is important for retaining talent and driving engagement. One powerful yet straightforward tool is the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS). For HR leaders and business owners who want a quick, ongoing snapshot of employee sentiment, eNPS can serve as an accessible starting point.
Understanding eNPS
eNPS is derived from the popular Net Promoter Score (NPS) concept, which traditionally measures customer loyalty. Instead of asking customers how likely they are to recommend a product, eNPS asks employees: “How likely are you to recommend our organization as a great place to work?” (or recommend a friend, family member, or former colleague to our organization, etc.)
This direct question cuts to the core of employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and organizational health.
Collecting eNPS
Collecting eNPS scores typically involves using simple online survey tools and focusing on a single question—the eNPS question—asking employees how likely they are to recommend the organization as a great place to work.
Many employers opt to administer these surveys quarterly or semiannually, striking a balance between frequent check-ins and avoiding survey fatigue. To improve participation and lessen fatigue, focus on:
- Clearly communicating the purpose of these surveys
- Showing employees how their feedback leads to tangible changes
When you review results across multiple surveys over time, this is often referred to as “longitudinal” tracking—in other words, analyzing data from one period to the next to spot trends, understand how engagement shifts, and measure the impact of any changes you’ve implemented.
To gain valuable insights beyond just the numerical score, consider adding an open-ended follow-up prompt, such as, “Why did you choose that score?”
The Calculation
To calculate eNPS, you’ll typically use an 11-point Likert scale (0–10).
- Promoters: Those who respond with a 9 or 10
- Passives: Those who respond with a 7 or 8
- Detractors: Those who respond from 0 to 6
The eNPS formula is:
Percentage of Promoters minus the percentage of Detractors
For example, if 50% are Promoters and 20% are Detractors, your eNPS is 30. It’s a simple formula that results in a single number, making it easy to track changes over time.
You can also segment eNPS data by department or specific employee populations, which might help you uncover patterns or pain points that might be masked by an overall score. Consider some of the following segments:
- Department or function
- Tenure with the company
- Age or career stage
- Work location/type (ex: remote vs. onsite)
- Employment Type (ex: full-time, part-time, etc.)
What’s a “Good” eNPS Score?
There’s no absolute benchmark for a “good” eNPS, but generally speaking:
- Below 0: More detractors than promoters; a negative eNPS score suggests underlying issues with engagement, culture, or leadership that need attention.
- Above 0: More promoters than detractors—positive, but room to grow.
- Around 20–30: Solid performance that indicates decent overall engagement.
- Above 50: Strong indicator of high engagement and a healthy culture.
Context matters. Compare scores over time and across similar industries for a more meaningful assessment. Keep in mind that even a high score doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement.
What an eNPS Tells You
An eNPS score is more than a number—it’s a quick, accessible indicator of how strongly employees endorse your organization as a place to work. This simple measure reflects employees’ underlying confidence in the company’s culture, leadership, and values.
By regularly tracking your eNPS, you can gain insights into whether initiatives focused on engagement, inclusion, career development, and well-being are resonating with your workforce.
A strong eNPS suggests a compelling employee value proposition and a positive employer brand, attracting both new talent and retaining top performers.
- High scores often reflect strong engagement, trust in leadership, and positive culture.
- Lower scores suggest underlying issues that can contribute to dissatisfaction and increased turnover risk.
Bonus: An Opportunity for a New Talent Pipeline
A less obvious opportunity that sometimes arises from an eNPS survey: By focusing on your top promoters and encouraging them to refer friends or former colleagues, you can transform your eNPS findings into a talent acquisition tool.
Top promoters’ enthusiasm for your organization makes their recommendations more credible and trusted, and this can help you build a pipeline of engaged, high-quality candidates.
Sustaining and/or Improving Your Score Over Time
Once you have your eNPS, particularly if you’ve been tracking trends over time, you can take action steps to sustain or even improve it over time:
- Address Detractors: Analyze feedback for common themes and address root causes (e.g., career development, workload, or communication issues).
- Support Promoters: Reinforce what’s working well—recognize top performers, celebrate wins, and maintain transparency.
- Refine Your Strategies: If eNPS indicates growth opportunities or even potential issues, dive deeper with more comprehensive engagement surveys. They can uncover whether factors like leadership styles or certain workplace policies are influencing the score.
By actually taking action based on the insights gathered from eNPS feedback, you can demonstrate your commitment to improvement, which can encourage ongoing participation and ultimately improve overall engagement.
Testing “Pilot” Initiatives to Improve eNPS
Instead of making large-scale changes in response to an eNPS dip, try running small, focused “pilot” initiatives. Consider tests like:
- No-Meeting Afternoons: For a few weeks, designate one afternoon each week where a department holds zero meetings.
- Micro-Budget for Upskilling: Give a pilot team a small stipend (e.g., $50/month) to spend on career-related courses or learning materials.
- Reverse Mentoring Pairings: Pair senior leaders with junior employees for brief mentoring sessions.
- Rotating “Insights Lunches”: Rotate a small group of employees each month through informal lunches with senior leadership.
- 30-Day Internal Job Shadowing: Allow a select group of employees to spend a few hours each week shadowing a different team’s work.
Whichever initiative you test, compare eNPS scores before and after to see if they make an impact.
Limitations of eNPS
eNPS offers a valuable temperature check, but it’s not a full diagnostic tool. Here’s why:
- It doesn’t explain why employees feel the way they do (with the exception of adding additional open-ended questions).
- It doesn’t measure specific drivers of engagement or culture on its own.
Moving Beyond eNPS
For a more complete picture of employee experience, consider layering in additional tools:
- Full Engagement Surveys: Comprehensive assessments that identify what truly drives engagement, company culture, and performance.
- Focus Groups and Interviews: Qualitative methods to collect employee feedback and ask follow-up questions for more comprehensive insights.
The eNPS score provides a quick, easy-to-understand snapshot of employee sentiment. While it won’t give you all the answers, it’s a solid starting point for tracking engagement trends. By using eNPS in conjunction with other tools, you can gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to keep employees engaged, committed, and ready to recommend your organization to others.
