Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) Defined
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a question that goes beyond engagement and satisfaction and measures the likelihood your employees would recommend your organization as a great place to work.
It has been gaining in popularity as an HR metric in recent years, partly because its origin is the Net Promoter Score (NPS), a widely used metric to gauge consumer satisfaction. One of the big benefits for using eNPS in HR is that it resonates across various executives across the company as they have likely been tracking NPS for a while now.
While there is excitement and benefit of bringing a metric that resonates across the C-suite, for HR professionals who are working with the eNPS for the first time, getting started can be a bit daunting. Most employee surveys ask questions and provide agreement scales, where you get % agreement or favorability to questions that range from 0 to 100%, or perhaps you calculate a mean score on a 5 or 7 point scale. But enter eNPS where the score can range from -100 to +100, and making sense of the results at first can be challenging. If you’d like to become more knowledgeable about understanding and leveraging eNPS, you are in the right place.
Deploying the eNPS Measurement
There are slightly different variations in how the eNPS question can be asked. At QuestionPro, we chose the following wording:
“How likely are you to recommend someone you respect for employment at [Company X]”
A few other ways you can ask the question are:
“How likely are you to recommend [this company] as a place to work?”
“How likely are you to recommend [Organization X] as a good place to work to people in your personal network?”
“How likely are you to recommend [Organization X] as a good place to work to your friends and family?”
When it comes to collecting eNPS information in a way that makes it the most actionable, we’d suggest the following.
1. Survey Distribution
- Adding an eNPS question to your survey is pretty straightforward. Add the question “How likely are you to recommend someone you respect for employment at your current company?” or a variation that best suits your organization. Add a 0-10point scale, where 0 means “not at all likely” and 10 means “very likely.”
- We would recommend asking additional questions in addition to the eNPS question because if you just ask the one question alone, you will likely be left wondering why you received the score you did with little clarity, wishing you had more data to segment the responses by and know what actions to take. If you want to keep the survey short, we would recommend asking questions related to career development, learning, recognition, and relationship with manager and colleagues.
- If you have several questions on your survey, consider adding the eNPS as one of the last questions as a way of wrapping up the survey as it will make more of a chronological flow sense to the survey takers.
2. Results Analysis
- In addition to looking at the overall score, look for different patterns in your eNPS scores. Are there certain departments that are doing better, and what, how about locations?
- Check for the “why” behind the differences in both other close-ended questions, as well as in open-ended ones. Meaning, look at how the other questions you asked relate to the eNPS score, where you see high sores, and where you have an opportunity to improve.
- Use the different data points and insights to develop targeted action plans that enhance employee engagement and satisfaction, ultimately supporting better retention and productivity.
Calculating eNPS
Survey software like QuestionPro will calculate the eNPS for you and provide you both the overall and segmented results. If you are collecting data outside of QuestionPro, you may need to do the calculation manually. If this is the case, you can calculate the score using the following formula:
eNPS = % Promoters (9-10) – % Detractors (0-6)
Employees are categorized into three groups:
- Promoters (9-10): Highly engaged employees who are likely to stay and contribute positively
- Passives (7-8): Satisfied but not enthusiastic employees who might be open to other opportunities
- Detractors (0-6): Dissatisfied employees who might spread negative feedback
How to interpret eNPS scores
There is no single agreed-upon eNPS guide for scores to determine your performance. We have done extensive research across various sources to provide the guideline below and give you more context to better understand your eNPS score.
Excellence Range (Above 50)
- Employees are highly engaged and loyal, with strong emotional connections to the organization.
- The company culture is thriving, and leadership effectively supports and motivates employees.
- You’re likely experiencing high retention rates, positive word-of-mouth, and strong internal advocacy contribute to the company’s reputation as a top employer.
- These organizations often attract top talent and set industry standards for employee satisfaction.
Strong Performance (30 to 50)
- Employees generally feel satisfied with their workplace, management, and overall job experience.
- A supportive and engaging work environment exists, but there may still be areas for refinement.
- Leadership is effective, but there may be specific pain points (e.g., career growth, work-life balance) that, if addressed, could further boost engagement.
Growth Zone (10 to 30)
- A mix of employee experiences suggests that while some engagement initiatives are working, others need improvement.
- There is potential for increasing employee satisfaction with targeted efforts in areas where you receive lower scores. This can be unique to an industry and company, and areas of improvement could be things such as unclear career paths or lack of recognition.
- Addressing these concerns proactively can shift employees toward becoming stronger advocates for the company.
Warning Zone (0 to 10)
- Employee engagement is fragile, and job satisfaction levels are low.
- High potential for turnover, as disengaged employees may be actively seeking new opportunities.
- Immediate attention is recommended to prevent further disengagement.
Critical Zone (Below 0)
- More employees are detractors (would not recommend the company as a place to work) than are promoters (would recommend the company as a place to work).
- There may be serious internal challenges that lead to high retention risks and low referral rates, likely negatively impacting the employment brand as well.
- More urgent attention is recommended to prevent mass exodus and possible reputational risks.
If you receive a score that you are surprised or dissatisfied with, please don’t panic. You took a great first step in knowing where you stand, and are now armed with better information on how to improve your employee experience and culture. As we mentioned above, when you first start working with eNPS the scoring convention will likely take some getting used to, but it is a great additional metric to help you continue to make positive improvement.
eNPS Industry Benchmarks and Context
Different industries face unique challenges that affect their eNPS scores, hence eNPS can often vary by industry. Research from QuestionPro Employee Experience sets the overall eNPS benchmark at 31, QuestionPro’s research includes eNPS benchmarks for the following sectors:
- Healthcare
- Information Technology/IT
- Education Administration
- Manufacturing
- Food, Beverage and Restaurant Services
- Government/Public Sector
- Banking
- Construction
- Hospitality/Tourism
- Financial
- And more…
Want to Measure Your Performance Against Industry Standards?
Effective Ways to Improve eNPS
Every organization is unique, and this is why it’s critical to collect data from your own employees to know what actions to take to make the most effective change. Employee Lifecycle Surveys can provide valuable insights to shape a positive and engaging culture. Below are several ideas that can help you get started as you review and consider your own data and insights.
Cultural Enhancement
A strong workplace culture increases employee satisfaction and eNPS. Defining company values, recognizing positive behaviors, and fostering inclusivity create a sense of belonging. Transparent communication builds trust and advocacy.
Professional Development
Employees promote companies that invest in their growth. Mentorship, skill-building, and career advancement boost engagement. When employees see a future within the organization, they are more likely to stay and recommend it. 360 Feedback Surveys help identify growth opportunities and strengthen career development.
Leadership Development
Strong leadership is key to employee satisfaction. Training in emotional intelligence, communication, and accountability fosters trust and engagement. Leaders who act on feedback create a positive workplace. 360 Feedback Surveys from QuestionPro provide actionable insights to develop leadership skills.
Workplace Experience
A great employee experience includes more than salary, it’s about workspace, flexibility, and wellbeing. Optimizing work policies and benefits leads to a happier workforce. Continuous Listening helps track sentiment in real time, ensuring workplace policies meet evolving employee needs.
Industry-Specific Solutions
Every industry has unique engagement challenges. Benchmarking against leaders and adapting best practices improve workplace satisfaction. Employee Lifecycle Surveys from QuestionPro help organizations compare engagement data and make informed decisions.
Action Planning Implementation Timeline
Data-Driven Action Planning
Improving eNPS starts with asking employees about how they feel about their work and their employer. .With these insights, organizations can create targeted plans to address leadership, work environment, or career growth. Empower Action Planning from QuestionPro helps turn feedback into measurable actions for meaningful change.
Below is an outline of how you can create a plan to best turn your data into actions:
Short-term Actions (0-3 months)
- Establish baseline measurements
- Conduct initial surveys
- Identify quick wins
- Begin communication improvements
Medium-term Goals (3-12 months)
- Implement major initiatives
- Develop training programs
- Enhance benefits and policies
- Build feedback mechanisms
Long-term Strategy (1-3 years)
- Create sustainable programs
- Build culture change
- Measure and adjust initiatives
Measuring Success
Track these key metrics alongside eNPS:
- Employee turnover rates
- Absenteeism
- Productivity metrics
- Internal promotion rates
- Recruitment effectiveness
- Training participation
- Performance ratings
Remember that improving eNPS is a journey, not a destination. Success requires consistent effort, genuine commitment to employee well-being, and a long-term perspective on organizational health.
