Gauging Employee Satisfaction with Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is an important part of the data we collect in our Employee Insights Survey – it is also the one question that we get asked about the most. So, what is eNPS? How is it used and how is it scored? Let’s dive in.

eNPS is an high-level measure of employees' satisfaction with their employer.

Employee Net Promoter Score is based on the original Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is a one-question metric developed by Fred Reichheld to gauge customer loyalty and satisfaction. The concept revolves around recommendation, asking “How likely are you to recommend this product/service/business to others?”, with the assumption being that the most loyal consumers will be the most likely to recommend a product to others.

Similarly, eNPS was developed to gauge employees’ loyalty and satisfaction within an organization by measuring the likelihood that they would recommend their organization to others as a great place to work.

Like the original NPS, eNPS is measured using one single question. On a scale of 0 to 10, employees are asked, “How likely are you to recommend your organization as a great place to work?”

Employe Net Promoter Score explained

Employees are categorized into three groups based on their responses:

• Promoters (score 9-10): Employees who are highly satisfied and engaged. They are likely to promote the organization and act as brand ambassadors.
• Passives (score 7-8): Employees who are generally satisfied, but not overly enthusiastic. They are less likely to actively promote the organization, but also unlikely to speak negatively about their experiences.
• Detractors (score 0-6): Employees who are dissatisfied and have negative feelings about their organization. They are more likely to speak negatively about the organization, potentially damaging its public reputation.

To calculate eNPS, the percentage of detractors is subtracted from the percentage of promoters. This creates a score from -100 to +100, where a positive score indicates a higher number of promoters than detractors and a negative score indicates a higher number of detractors than promoters.

The resulting score provides a measurable standard for organizations to track employee satisfaction and loyalty over time. Our data at YMCA WorkWell suggests that an eNPS of 0 is "average", while an eNPS of 20+ is "good" and an eNPS of 40+ is "excellent".

Where eNPS falls short

eNPS provides a high-level metric of employee satisfaction, but what it lacks is insights into why an organization scores where it does. This is the disadvantage of any one-question metric – it can only tell you so much. That is why eNPS is only one of the diagnostic tools used in our WorkWell Insights Assessment.

Think of eNPS like a check engine light. It tells you that there is an issue with your car and raises the alarm, but it doesn’t tell you what the issue actually is. For that, you need to run a deeper diagnostic. That's where we come in.

Our WorkWell Insights Assessment evaluates 20 key drivers of organizational health – both quantitative and qualitative – to provide deeper insights into your employee experience. Our comprehensive evaluation not only provides you with your eNPS score, but also a range of deeper insights into the experiences of various demographics within your organization. By comparing teams, leaders, front-line staff, and tenure groups, you can gain a better understanding of what is driving your eNPS score – both the positive and negative factors.

Our Insights Report can provide a deeper understanding of what is driving your eNPS score at the organizational and team-level. For instance, if your Sales team has a negative eNPS, we may uncover that they are struggling with Workload Management and have low Recognition scores. On the other hand, if your Human Resources team has a strong eNPS, our Insights Report may reveal that their leader is exceptional at giving and receiving feedback, and they feel inspired in their work.

Why employers need to start collecting eNPS

In many sectors, employee turnover is at an all-time high and retention strategies are often not based on data and the actual needs of their staff.

In the community data from our recent Workplace Well-being Report, 52% of detractors were considering leaving their role in the next six months, compared to only 15% of passives and 6% of promoters.

That is a significant gap. If organizations are able to identify why detractors are disengaged and identify the root causes of their dissatisfaction, they are better able to support them and re-engage them in the organization and its mission.

Overall, eNPS is a valuable tool but it’s not a full diagnostic. Paired with our Employee Insights Assessment, you can turn it from a check engine light to a full blown visit to the shop.