A high eNPS is one of a few key indicators that measure the level of engagement and satisfaction of your organization's people —in other words, how healthy your company is. This blog will explore six effective strategies for improving your organization's eNPS, fostering a positive work environment, and driving business success.
What is eNPS?
eNPS, or Employee Net Promoter Score, is a measure of employee satisfaction and loyalty. It revolves around a straightforward question: "How likely are you to recommend this company as a great place to work?" Responses are usually given on a scale from 0 to 10.
Why is eNPS important?
"The Employee Net Promoter Score is a critical metric for any organization,” said Kyile Stair, Chief People Officer at Litmos.
It serves as a predictor of business performance, with higher scores correlating with more substantial financial results. It clearly indicates employee engagement, as those who recommend their company are typically the most committed. According to a report by Gallup, “Employees who are actively engaged are less likely to be actively looking or open to a new job opportunity. In fact, low engagement teams typically endure turnover rates that are 18% to 43% higher than highly engaged teams.”
Additionally, eNPS helps identify areas for improvement, with low scores highlighting issues that require attention. A positive eNPS also enhances a company's reputation, making it a magnet for top talent.
6 Ways to Improve Your Employee Net Promoter Score
1. Regularly Ask For and Act on Employee Feedback
- Conduct Regular Surveys:
If you're already surveying employees and acting on their feedback, consider adding quarterly pulse surveys for quicker insights. If you're new to surveys, start annually to build trust before scaling up. For significant overhauls, include a 6-month or quarterly pulse to track key metrics like eNPS. Ensure employees see their feedback driving visible, ongoing improvements. - Create Feedback Channels:
Offer multiple ways for employees to share their thoughts, such as one-on-one meetings, anonymous surveys, and suggestion boxes. Variety ensures everyone has a comfortable avenue to provide input. - Respond to Feedback With Gratitude:
Feedback—especially critical feedback—can be challenging to hear. Responding positively reinforces a culture of trust. Instead of becoming defensive, express appreciation: "Thank you for sharing this. It's helpful to know where we can improve." Gratitude fosters safety and ensures employees feel valued and heard. - Analyze Feedback:
Examine survey data for trends and demographic insights to uncover hidden patterns, like variations in eNPS scores by gender identity or department. Use tools like AI to extract key themes while preserving anonymity. Compare results against past data to identify areas of progress or concern. - Share What You Heard (and what you’re doing about it):
Let employees know their voices matter by sharing 3-5 key takeaways. Outline what you're addressing, the timeline for changes, and who will be responsible for making the changes. A transparent roadmap builds accountability and trust. Provide regular updates during monthly or quarterly town halls to keep momentum visible. - Implement Changes:
The most crucial step is acting on feedback. Start with quick wins to build momentum and demonstrate commitment. Prioritize changes by their potential impact and required resources, focusing on high-impact, low-resource actions first. Address more significant issues incrementally to ensure sustained progress.
2. Foster a Positive Workplace Culture
- Create a Supportive Environment:
A supportive culture starts at the top. Define clear expectations for leaders regarding leadership qualities, the work environment, support for well-being, and actions to take if their team is experiencing overwhelm, burnout, or difficulties. In addition to setting expectations, offer continuous training for current and aspiring leaders. Lead by example. Take mental health days and openly communicate about it. Step away and disconnect completely. Attend personal events like school plays and games. Avoid contacting those who are out of the office. Embrace and even celebrate mistakes. Creating a culture of psychological safety is essential, and one of the quickest ways to achieve this is by steering clear of blame and finger-pointing.
- Recognize and Reward Employees:
Regularly recognizing people for demonstrating your values, doing things well, and being reliable can go a long way. As the saying goes, “good begets good,” so if you want to see more good from your people, acknowledge the good when you see it. Encourage individuals to recognize and appreciate their peers rather than depending solely on leaders to acknowledge good performance. To facilitate this, consider establishing formal channels or implementing a recognition platform that promotes broader participation. Additionally, develop a structured recognition program that is linked to rewards. Many platforms offer built-in reward systems where individuals can earn points through leader and peer recognition. Ensuring that this recognition aligns with your organization's culture and values is important, as this will encourage the desired behavior among employees. - Address Issues Promptly:
Whether in the survey or outside of it, make sure to address any issues raised right away. Taking all issues seriously is crucial – this creates a foundation of trust, and it shows that you’re listening and hearing people. If an issue can’t be fixed immediately, communicate quickly what you heard, what you found, why it can’t be fixed quickly, and when you think it can be fixed. It’s nearly impossible to over-communicate.
3. Prioritize Intentional Engagement Efforts
- Provide Opportunities for Growth:
Courses, webinars, books, conferences, formal education, cross-functional projects, and stretch assignments—regardless of your budget, a commitment to providing your people with growth resources and the time to dedicate to growth is crucial for satisfaction. Consider requiring at least one or two professional development goals each year and including regular check-ins as part of one-on-ones and reviews.
- Focus on Balance:
Burnout is a major cause of disengagement. People are overworked and struggle to disconnect. Review PTO policies to ensure adequate time off without interruptions like calls or emails. Make sure you encourage regular breaks for personal activities to support well-being and work-life balance. And lastly, ensure that you regularly assess workload to address imbalances and implement tools to reduce employee stress and maintain productivity.
- Create Opportunities for Connection:
Once balance has been addressed, create different opportunities for your people to connect as, well, people. Create chat channels based on interests (book clubs, foodies, pet parents, etc). Schedule in-person meet-ups in the cities where you operate, ideally during the workday. Schedule virtual lunch or coffee meet-ups. Set up team volunteering opportunities. Connection with coworkers is key, and it can feel hard to find space to connect when everyone has overfilled plates.
4. Improve Employee Experience
- Streamline Tech and Processes:
Look at the tech stack you’re asking people to use and make sure you’re not asking them to maintain an unreasonable number of usernames and passwords. Consider implementing single sign-on (SSO) to help ease the burden of logins. See what systems can talk to each other to minimize duplicate efforts. Additionally, consider dedicating time to reviewing current processes and identifying what can be automated or made more efficient. This process should involve both end users and stakeholders since processes impact departments and functions differently. - Offer Competitive Benefits and Perks:
Medical, dental, and vision benefits are a given nowadays, regardless of company size. Consider polling your people to find out what other benefits would help them most. Things like pet insurance, Instacart or club memberships, fitness discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment, and caregiver stipends go beyond the traditional and offer innovative support to help people live better lives. If you’re in the population requiring in-office time, consider adding on-site flu shot clinics, oil changes, and chair massages to make the in-office requirements more mutually beneficial. - Provide Adequate Resources and Support:
To begin with, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are a fundamental component and should be included in any comprehensive benefits package. It's beneficial to offer additional mental health resources, such as apps and enhanced services, along with access to mental health professionals. Despite having insurance, the cost of regular mental health support can still be prohibitive for many. Beyond mental health resources, assessing the tools and resources employees have to perform their jobs effectively is important. If employees resort to makeshift solutions due to a lack of proper tools, they are more prone to burnout and decreased productivity, leading to dissatisfaction. Providing regular training and holding managers accountable to leadership standards is essential. This ensures employees feel supported. Consistently review exit survey data for patterns related to leadership and consider implementing 360-degree reviews for those in leadership positions.
- Regularly Assess eNPS:
Once your baseline eNPS is established, consider the frequency that makes the most sense for your organization to re-assess your scores. Annual assessments work best for some organizations, especially with significant changes or less tech-savvy teams. If your group is tech-savvy and not overwhelmed by surveys, consider quarterly or semi-annual pulse surveys with an eNPS pulse and a few check-in questions. Use data tools to track eNPS changes. Small fluctuations (2-5 points) usually don't require strategy changes, but persistent downward trends need further investigation.
- Compare eNPS to Industry Benchmarks:
It can be hard to know how you’re doing – eNPS is just a number, after all. Is 50 even good? The answer depends widely on a few factors.
-
- Starting point: If your score, no matter the number, is higher than your first benchmark, congratulations! You are doing something right.
-
- Industry: Some industries naturally trend lower or higher. Several platforms offer eNPS industry benchmarking live time, or you can purchase static benchmark reports from larger data institutions.
-
- If your industry benchmark is lower than your score, this is also a reason to celebrate! However, it’s important not to stop making progress, regardless of score, since eNPS can drop quickly if ignored.
- Use eNPS Data to Inform HR Strategies:
Your TA and People Ops strategies may need to be revised based on the data from your survey scores, particularly eNPS. Dropped or lower-than-expected eNPS scores indicate a need to address issues promptly, possibly pausing or shifting ongoing projects. Disparate subgroup scores suggest addressing experience inequities, such as performance, recognition, balance, and pay, especially if demographic-specific eNPS scores decline. - Celebrate Successes:
Regardless of your score or where you start, it’s crucial to recognize wins along the way. Celebrate your first eNPS as a starting point! Even a 2-point increase is progress. Every small step forward positively impacts your organization and its people.
6. Invest in Employee Training and Development
When employees are empowered to grow and acquire new skills, their engagement soars. In fact, a recent Forbes article revealed that 35% of employees consider learning and development opportunities to be one of the top three aspects of a positive employee experience, directly contributing to a more engaged workforce.
Fostering a culture of continuous learning is essential for any organization seeking to thrive. Litmos products are crafted to deliver training and genuinely engage employees. With features like gamification and boost, Litmos transforms learning into an impactful and engaging experience that motivates employees to participate more enthusiastically. Its intuitive interface and mobile accessibility make learning convenient for learners, whether they're at a desk or on the go.
Investing in your employees' experience is one of the most impactful decisions an organization can make. By prioritizing strategies to improve eNPS—such as fostering a positive culture, responding to feedback, and providing growth opportunities—you create an environment where your people thrive. The result? A happier, more engaged workforce that drives organizational success. Remember, the journey toward improvement begins with small, intentional steps that demonstrate your commitment to your team's well-being and growth.
.png)
.png)