Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS): The Complete Guide

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a metric used to measure employee satisfaction and loyalty. Derived from the original Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) methodology (created by Bain & Company, Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld), eNPS adapts the concept of customer loyalty to gauge employee sentiment.

At its core, eNPS asks a simple but powerful question: "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work to a friend or colleague?" This single question provides organizations with a straightforward way to assess employee engagement and satisfaction levels.

Key eNPS Components

The Three Employee Categories

Promoters (Score 9-10): These are your highly engaged and satisfied employees who are enthusiastic about your organization. They:

• Serve as brand ambassadors
• Contribute positively to workplace culture
• Deliver high-quality work
• Are less likely to leave the organization
• Help attract new talent through positive word-of-mouth

Passives (Score 7-8): These employees are generally satisfied but not fully committed to the organization. They:

• Are content but not enthusiastic
• May be susceptible to better offers from other companies
• Represent an opportunity to increase engagement
• Typically don't speak negatively about the company
• Can be converted to promoters with the right initiatives

Detractors (Score 0-6): These employees are dissatisfied and potentially disengaged. They:

• Are unlikely to recommend the company to others
• May spread negative opinions about the workplace
• Are at higher risk of leaving the organization
• Often have specific concerns that need addressing
• Provide valuable feedback for improvement

The Standard eNPS Question

The foundation of any eNPS survey is the core question:

"On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [company name] as a place to work to a friend or colleague?"

This question is carefully worded to capture an employee's overall sentiment about their workplace experience, reflecting factors such as job satisfaction, alignment with company values, and overall engagement.

Calculating Your eNPS

The eNPS formula is straightforward:

eNPS = (% of Promoters) - (% of Detractors)

To calculate your eNPS:

1. Collect responses from your employees using the standard eNPS question
2. Categorize responses:
   
   • Scores 9-10: Promoters
   • Scores 7-8: Passives
   • Scores 0-6: Detractors
3. Calculate the percentage of respondents in each category
4. Subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters

Example Calculation:

• 100 employees complete your eNPS survey
• 45 employees give scores of 9-10 (Promoters): 45%
• 30 employees give scores of 7-8 (Passives): 30%
• 25 employees give scores of 0-6 (Detractors): 25%
• eNPS = 45% - 25% = 20

Note that passives are excluded from the actual calculation but still provide valuable insights for improving employee experience.

Read - 50 Net Promoter Survey Questions to Boost Customer Insights

Understanding Your eNPS Results

eNPS scores can range from -100 (if all employees are detractors) to +100 (if all employees are promoters). Here's how to interpret your results:

Above 50: Excellent. This indicates a highly engaged workforce with strong loyalty to your organization.

10-30: Good. This range suggests generally positive employee sentiment with room for improvement.

0-10: Average. This indicates an equal balance between promoters and detractors, signaling a need for more focused engagement strategies.

Below 0: Needs improvement. A negative score means you have more detractors than promoters, indicating significant employee satisfaction issues that require immediate attention.

Remember that eNPS is most valuable when:

• Tracked over time to monitor trends
• Compared to industry benchmarks
• Supplemented with qualitative feedback
• Used as one component of a broader employee feedback strategy

eNPS Benchmarks by Industry

eNPS scores vary significantly across different industries and company sizes. Understanding industry benchmarks helps set realistic targets for improvement. Recent benchmarks from 2024-2025 include:

• Technology: 28
• Hospitality: 30
• Healthcare: 15
• Manufacturing: 15
• Non-Profit: 10
• Housing Associations: 11
• Entertainment & Recreation: 5
• Education: 0
• Retail: -5
• Government: -15

Company size also influences eNPS:

• Small companies (0-250 employees): Average eNPS of 30
• Large organizations (5001+ employees): Average eNPS of 9

Remember that while benchmarks provide context, your goal should be continuous improvement rather than simply matching industry averages.

Best Practices for eNPS Implementation

Survey Frequency

Quarterly surveys offer a good balance between gathering regular feedback and avoiding survey fatigue. This timing allows organizations to:

• Track trends over time
• Implement changes based on feedback
• Measure the impact of new initiatives
• Stay responsive to changing employee sentiment

Some organizations may prefer bi-annual surveys, especially if they have other feedback mechanisms in place.

Anonymity and Confidentiality

To ensure honest feedback:

• Make surveys anonymous
• Clearly communicate that responses will remain confidential
• Avoid collecting identifying information
• Consider using third-party survey platforms
• Set minimum response thresholds for reporting on specific teams

Communication Strategy

For maximum participation and effectiveness:

• Explain the purpose of eNPS surveys to employees
• Share how the data will be used
• Communicate previous results and actions taken
• Set clear expectations about survey timing
• Provide updates on initiatives stemming from feedback

Action Planning

The most crucial aspect of eNPS implementation is taking action on results:

• Share aggregated results with employees
• Identify key themes from qualitative feedback
• Develop specific action plans for improvement
• Assign responsibilities for implementation
• Track progress and communicate updates

eNPS vs. Other Employee Feedback Methods

Strengths of eNPS

• Simplicity: Easy to implement and understand
• Efficiency: High response rates due to brevity
• Comparability: Allows benchmarking across teams, departments, and industries
• Quantifiable: Provides a clear metric for tracking improvement
• Frequency: Can be deployed regularly without causing survey fatigue

Limitations of eNPS

• Limited scope: Doesn't capture the full complexity of employee experience
• Potential oversimplification: Summarizes employee sentiment in a single number
• Excludes passives: The calculation doesn't account for neutral employees
• Context-dependent: Needs additional data for meaningful interpretation
• Cultural variations: Response patterns may differ across countries and cultures

NPS vs. eNPS: Understanding the Difference

A common point of confusion is mistaking eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) for the original NPS (Net Promoter Score). While both use the same 0-10 scale and calculation method, they measure fundamentally different relationships.

NPS evaluates customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend products or services to others, focusing on the customer-business relationship. eNPS, on the other hand, measures employee sentiment by asking how likely employees are to recommend their workplace to potential candidates, focusing on the employee-employer relationship.

Organizations should be careful not to conflate these metrics, as they serve different purposes and offer insights into distinct aspects of business performance.

Complementary Feedback Methods

For a comprehensive employee feedback strategy, consider combining eNPS with:

Pulse Surveys: Short, frequent surveys on specific topics or experiences

Employee Engagement Surveys: Comprehensive assessments covering multiple dimensions of the employee experience

Culture Surveys: Focused evaluations of organizational culture, values, and practices

Performance-Based Surveys: Feedback on managers, colleagues, and individual performance

Stay/Exit Interviews: In-depth conversations to understand retention factors and reasons for departure

Follow-Up Questions to Enhance eNPS Insights

The power of eNPS expands significantly when paired with strategic follow-up questions. Consider including these questions to gain deeper insights:

For all respondents:

• "What is the primary reason for your score?"
• "What one thing could we improve to make [company] a better place to work?"
• "What do you value most about working at [company]?"

For detractors (scores 0-6):

• "What specific challenges are you facing in your role or within the organization?"
• "What would need to change for you to give a higher score?"
• "Do you feel your concerns are heard and addressed by management?"

For passives (scores 7-8):

• "What would make you more enthusiastic about recommending [company] as a place to work?"
• "What aspects of your work experience could be improved?"
• "What keeps you from giving our company a 9 or 10?"

For promoters (scores 9-10):

• "What aspects of working here do you value most?"
• "What should we continue doing or do more of?"
• "What would you tell a friend about working here?"

These qualitative insights transform eNPS from a simple metric into a valuable tool for identifying specific improvement opportunities.

Common Challenges with eNPS

Survey Fatigue

Challenge: Employees become disengaged from frequent surveys, especially when they don't see resulting actions.

Solution: Limit survey frequency, keep surveys brief, and clearly communicate actions taken based on previous feedback.

Low Response Rates

Challenge: Insufficient participation makes results less reliable and representative.

Solution: Make surveys easily accessible, emphasize anonymity, explain the purpose, and consider incentives for participation (team-based, not individual).

Score Focus vs. Action Focus

Challenge: Organizations fixate on improving the score rather than addressing underlying issues.

Solution: Prioritize implementing meaningful changes based on feedback rather than artificially inflating scores.

Cultural Differences

Challenge: Response patterns vary across cultures, with some more likely to give extreme scores than others.

Solution: Consider cultural context when interpreting results, especially for global organizations.

Lack of Follow-Through

Challenge: Collecting feedback without taking visible action diminishes trust and future participation.

Solution: Create a structured process for reviewing results, planning actions, implementing changes, and communicating progress.

Strategies to Improve Your eNPS

Improving your eNPS requires addressing the key drivers of employee satisfaction and engagement. Focus on these areas:

1. Leadership and Communication

• Ensure transparent, consistent communication from leadership
• Provide regular updates on company direction and performance
• Create opportunities for two-way dialogue between employees and leadership
• Train managers on effective feedback and communication skills
• Recognize and celebrate achievements at all levels

2. Career Development and Growth

• Establish clear career pathways within the organization
• Provide access to training and skill development opportunities
• Implement mentorship or coaching programs
• Conduct regular career conversations with employees
• Support internal mobility and promotion

3. Work-Life Balance and Wellbeing

• Offer flexible working arrangements where possible
• Promote mental health resources and support
• Encourage reasonable working hours and break times
• Implement wellness programs and initiatives
• Ensure workload management is prioritized

4. Recognition and Rewards

• Develop a comprehensive recognition program
• Ensure fair and competitive compensation
• Offer meaningful benefits that address employee needs
• Create both formal and informal recognition opportunities
• Celebrate team and individual successes regularly

5. Workplace Environment and Culture

• Foster an inclusive and diverse work environment
• Align organizational values with employee experiences
• Encourage collaboration and teamwork
• Address toxic behaviors promptly
• Create spaces for social connection and community

Remember that improvement takes time, and changes should be sustainable rather than quick fixes aimed solely at boosting scores.

Boost Your eNPS with AI-Powered Surveys

Traditional eNPS surveys, while valuable, often face significant challenges that limit their effectiveness:

• Survey creation is time-consuming and requires expertise to design effective questions
• Low response rates due to survey fatigue and lack of engagement
• Limited insights from standard numerical ratings and basic follow-up questions
• Difficulty analyzing qualitative feedback at scale
• Challenges turning feedback into actionable improvements

How TheySaid Transforms the eNPS Experience

TheySaid is revolutionizing how organizations gather and utilize employee feedback through AI-powered surveys that address these common pain points:

AI Survey Setup

• Generate complete eNPS surveys with one click
• Customize questions based on your specific organizational context
• Save hours of preparation time with AI-assisted survey design

Engaging AI Conversations

• Transform the standard eNPS question into an interactive dialogue
• Increase response rates with a more engaging survey experience
• Uncover deeper insights through natural conversation flows
• Allow employees to express nuanced feedback beyond standard ratings

AI Analysis and Action Items

• Automatically detect trends across departments and teams
• Identify specific action items from employee feedback
• Receive alerts for urgent concerns requiring immediate attention
• Generate comprehensive reports that highlight improvement opportunities

Flexible Distribution

• Reach employees through their preferred channels: email, in-app chat, QR codes, or Slack
• Increase participation with convenient access options
• Schedule automated follow-ups for non-respondents

Real-Time Analytics

• Monitor eNPS scores as they come in
• Track changes over time with intuitive visualizations
• Compare results across departments, locations, or demographics
• Identify both immediate concerns and long-term trends

By leveraging AI throughout the eNPS process, organizations can overcome the limitations of traditional surveys, gain deeper insights into employee sentiment, and more effectively translate feedback into meaningful workplace improvements.