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Just as organizations should be interested in collecting customer feedback, they should be as interested in getting feedback from their workers as well.

While there are many forms of employee feedback, the employee net promoter score (eNPS) survey is perhaps the most telling.

Here I’ll delve into what the eNPS is, why it’s useful, and how to calculate it.

What Are eNPS Surveys?

The eNPS survey is a type of employee survey designed to provide a high-level assessment of employee sentiment toward their employer by asking them one simple yet powerful question.

The simple, powerful question

The eNPS survey only asks workers one simple yet powerful question:

"How likely are you to recommend [insert company name] as a place to work to a friend or family member?”

Based on their responses, ranging from 1-10 with 1 being highly unlikely and 10 being extremely likely, employees are categorized into three groups:

  • Promoters (scores 9 or 10): Highly satisfied employees who are likely to recommend the company as a great place to work
  • Neutrals (scores 7 or 8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic employees who are indifferent about recommending the company
  • Detractors (scores 0 to 6): Dissatisfied employees who may discourage others from joining the company.

The more promoters the higher the score, indicating a satisfied employee population. Here’s how the calculation works.

The Formula For eNPS Calculation

The eNPS score is the % of promoters - % of detractors. 

Here’s how to calculate your eNPS:

Step 1: Collect responses

Assume you surveyed 100 employees, you categorize their responses are as follows:

  • Promoters (scores 9 or 10): 50 employees
  • Neutrals (scores 7 or 8): 20 employees
  • Detractors (scores 0 to 6): 30 employees

Step 2: Calculate percentages

  • Percentage of Promoters: 50/100×100=50%
  • Percentage of Detractors: 30/100×100=30%

(The 20 Neutrals are ignored in the calculation.)

Step 3: Calculate the eNPS

Percentage of Promoters (50%) - Percentage of Detractors (30%) = 20

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Result

The eNPS score for this example is 20. This indicates that the company has more Promoters than Detractors, suggesting generally positive employee sentiment.

What  "good" eNPS score looks like

A "good" eNPS score can vary by industry, company size, and other factors, but general benchmarks are:

  • Above 0: A positive score (anything above 0) indicates that you have more Promoters than Detractors, which is a positive sign.
  • 10 to 30: Considered good. It shows that employees generally have a favorable view of the company.
  • 30 to 50: Considered very good. Indicates a strong company culture and high employee satisfaction.
  • Above 50: Excellent. This suggests a highly engaged workforce where employees are very likely to recommend the company as a great place to work.

Companies usually aim for a score of 30 or higher to ensure they have a healthy and positive workplace culture.

How Often Should You Conduct An ENPS Survey?

An eNPS survey is best conducted quarterly or biannually to regularly monitor employee sentiment and capture trends over time.

  • Quarterly (every 3 months): Allows for frequent check-ins, providing more timely feedback and the ability to quickly identify and address issues.
  • Biannually (every 6 months): Suitable for companies looking to avoid survey fatigue while still keeping an eye on employee satisfaction.

Some companies may also opt for annual surveys if they prefer a broader, more comprehensive overview of employee sentiment, but more frequent surveys generally offer better insight into trends and changes in engagement.

How To Conduct An ENPS Survey [Step-By-Step]

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you plan, execute, and analyze an eNPS survey:

1. Define the purpose of the survey

  • Objective: Clarify why you are conducting the eNPS survey. The primary goal is to understand employee satisfaction and engagement levels, but you may also want to identify specific areas for improvement.
  • Communication: Communicate to employees the purpose of the survey and how the results will be used to improve the work environment.

2. Craft the eNPS Question

The core of an eNPS survey is a single, straightforward question:

  • Main Question: “On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [Company Name] as a place to work to your friends or colleagues?”
  • Rating Scale:
    • 0–6: Detractors (Unhappy employees who are unlikely to recommend the company)
    • 7–8: Passives (Satisfied but not enthusiastic)
    • 9–10: Promoters (Loyal and highly engaged employees who would recommend the company).

3. Include a Follow-up Question (Optional)

  • To gather more insights, you can add a follow-up, open-ended question:
    • Follow-up Questions:
      • “What is the main reason for your score?”
      • “What changes would make you more likely to recommend [Company Name]?”
      • “What do you like most about working here?”
      • “What areas could we improve on?”

4. Choose the Right Survey Tool

  • Select a survey platform: Use an employee survey tool or a dedicated HR platform with eNPS capabilities. You could also roll with something like Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey. Ensure the tool can keep responses anonymous if desired.
  • Anonymity: Assure employees that their responses will be anonymous to encourage honest feedback.

5. Set the survey frequency

  • Frequency: Decide whether to conduct the eNPS survey quarterly, biannually, or annually. Regular surveys allow you to track changes in employee sentiment over time.
  • Timing: Choose a good time to send the survey, avoiding periods of high stress, such as major projects or organizational changes, which could skew results.

6. Deliver the survey to employees

  • Introduction: Send out an introductory email explaining the purpose of the eNPS survey and how it fits into your broader employee engagement strategy.
  • Call to action: Encourage employees to participate and remind them that their feedback is valued and will drive improvements.

7. Collect and analyze results

  • Calculate eNPS Score:
    • % Promoters = (Number of Promoters / Total Respondents) × 100
    • % Detractors = (Number of Detractors / Total Respondents) × 100
    • eNPS Score = % Promoters – % Detractors
    • Scores can range from -100 to +100. A positive score is generally seen as good, and a score above +50 is considered excellent.
  • Analyze feedback: Review open-ended responses to identify common themes or areas for improvement. Look for patterns in what employees like and what issues they raise.

8. Share the results

  • With leadership: Share the overall eNPS score and key findings with the leadership team to inform strategic decisions.
  • With employees: Provide feedback to employees, summarizing the results and outlining any actions that will be taken based on the feedback.

9. Take action on the feedback

  • Develop an action plan: Based on the survey results, develop an action plan to address common concerns or issues raised by employees.
  • Communicate actions: Nothing deters employees from giving feedback than for no action to be taken (or, if not possible, then at least an explanation as to why). This is why it’s important to let employees know what steps are being taken to improve the work environment based on their feedback.

10. Track progress

  • Follow-up surveys: Conduct eNPS surveys regularly to track progress and see if your actions are making a positive impact on employee sentiment.
  • Compare results: Analyze how the eNPS score evolves over time and identify any significant changes in the feedback.

Sample eNPS Survey:

  1. On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [Company Name] as a place to work?
    • 0 (Not at all likely) to 10 (Extremely likely)
  2. What is the main reason for your score? (Optional open-ended question)
  3. What could we improve to increase your likelihood of recommending [Company Name] as a place to work? (Optional open-ended question)

What To Do After Calculating The eNPS

After calculating your eNPS, the next steps are crucial to drive meaningful improvements:

  1. Analyze the feedback: Break down the responses by different groups (departments, locations, etc.) to identify trends or specific areas of concern. Pay special attention to comments or qualitative feedback that often accompany the survey.
  2. Share results with employees: Communicate the overall eNPS score and key findings with the team. Transparency shows employees that their feedback is valued and taken seriously.
  3. Engage in follow-up discussions: For deeper insights, hold discussions or focus groups with employees, particularly Detractors and Neutrals, to understand their concerns.
  4. Create an action plan: Based on all the feedback you’ve gathered, develop an action plan targeting areas of improvement. You might also want to involve certain employees directly.
  5. Prioritize quick wins: Addressing easily fixable issues first can quickly boost morale and demonstrate that employee feedback leads to change.
  6. Track progress: Set specific goals related to your action plan and monitor progress over time. Use subsequent eNPS surveys to measure the effectiveness of the changes and identify new areas for improvement.
  7. Repeat the process: Conduct regular eNPS surveys (quarterly or biannually) to continue gauging employee sentiment and refining your engagement strategies.

Employee NPS Vs. Engagement

Employee net promoter score and employee engagement are related but distinct measures of employee sentiment:

eNPS

  • Focus: Measures how likely employees are to recommend the company as a great place to work.
  • Question: Based on a single, simple question: "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work?"
  • Purpose: Provides a snapshot of overall employee sentiment and loyalty. It indicates how employees feel about the company but does not delve into the specific aspects of their experience.
  • Simplicity: Easy to implement and analyze, making it a quick tool to gauge general satisfaction.
  • Limitations: Offers limited insight into what drives employee attitudes, requiring further investigation to identify specific concerns or areas for improvement.

Employee engagement

  • Focus: Measures the emotional commitment employees have toward their work, their team, and the organization.
  • Questions: Typically involves comprehensive surveys with multiple questions covering various aspects such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, career development, management support, and organizational culture.
  • Purpose: Provides a deeper understanding of how engaged and motivated employees are, offering a broader picture of the overall work environment.
  • Complexity: Requires a more in-depth analysis and follow-up actions, as engagement surveys are more detailed and may highlight specific areas for improvement.
  • Actionable Insights: Helps pinpoint specific factors affecting engagement, making it easier to create targeted strategies to enhance the work experience.

In summary, eNPS provides a quick, high-level indicator of employee loyalty, while engagement surveys offer a comprehensive view of the factors influencing employee motivation and commitment. 

Both metrics complement each other, with eNPS acting as a pulse check and engagement surveys providing deeper, actionable insights.

A Holistic Approach To Employee Feedback

While undoubtedly useful, the eNPS is just one, rather high-level form of employee feedback. 

In this article on how to get feedback from employees, Mike Gibbons outlines 8 effective methods to collect employee feedback:

  1. Surveys
  2. Skip-level meetings
  3. One-on-one/performance review meetings
  4. 360-degree performance reviews
  5. Onboarding interviews
  6. Exit (offboarding) interviews
  7. Real/virtual suggestion boxes
  8. Casual conversations

While much will be carried out by HR, in her article on employee listening, Cyndi Wenninghoff stresses the importance of shared responsibility for capturing feedback:

“The entire company takes responsibility with senior leaders setting the “listening” tone, HR driving and coaching strategies, managers nurturing trust and engagement, and employees feeling empowered to contribute fully to the process.”

Tools like employee feedback software can help with collating and interpreting feedback from the various channels to drive strategic change initiatives.

Lastly, combine employee feedback with HR metrics like turnover and demographics to get a fuller picture.

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Finn Bartram

Finn is an editor at People Managing People. He's passionate about growing organizations where people are empowered to continuously improve and genuinely enjoy coming to work. If not at his desk, you can find him playing sports or enjoying the great outdoors.