Employee Net Promoter Score: Key Drivers & eNPS Benchmarks

Understanding and improving the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) can play a pivotal role in your organization's success. This critical measure can contribute to successful recruitment, retention, cost management, and even help tackle labor shortages.

What is eNPS?

Unlike traditional five-point scales, the eNPS uses an 11-point measure, making it more granular and nuanced. Employees are categorized into promoters (highly engaged), passives (satisfied but less enthusiastic), and detractors (less satisfied and potentially disengaged). The eNPS score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from promoters, providing a score between -100 (all detractors) to +100 (all promoters).

Why do companies rely on eNPS, and where does it fall short?

Benefits

• Simple: one question, one number, easy to track over time.

• Fast: minimal survey fatigue and quick deployment.

• Familiar: parallels customer NPS, so leaders grasp the result quickly.

Limitations

• Signals but doesn't diagnose: the score shows a problem but not the reason.

• Ignores passives: employees scoring 7–8 disappear from the calculation even though their feedback can highlight improvement areas.

Use follow-up items or always-on listening channels to uncover the "why" behind the number.Open-text analysis transforms qualitative feedback into actionable insights that explain score patterns.

Why does eNPS matter?

Put simply, eNPS gauges the willingness of your employees to recommend your organization as a workplace. A high percentage of promoters — those enthusiastic employees advocating your company — can significantly boost recruitment and express a strong commitment to stay. This commitment is a valuable predictor of reduced turnover, aiding cost management and safeguarding against labor shortages.

How should you interpret eNPS scores?

A quick rule of thumb for interpreting results:

• 0–9: more promoters than detractors, but room to improve

• 10–30: good

• 31–49: very good

• 50–69: excellent

• 70+: world-class

The Perceptyx benchmark database, which collects Employee Experience (EX) data from more than 15 million employees in global organizations, reports that the global eNPS benchmark typically hovers around 14–15. Industry benchmarks vary, with Information and Professional Services sectors generally scoring in the mid-to-high 20s, Finance and Insurance in the low 20s, Healthcare in the mid-teens, Manufacturing and Admin/Support in the single digits, and Retail Trade often showing negative scores.

How do you improve eNPS?

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) shows how willing people are to recommend working at your organization. To raise that score, focus on three drivers: holistic wellbeing, belonging and recognition, and managerial effectiveness. The examples below illustrate how companies improved each area.

How do you support holistic well-being?

Well-being in the workplace isn't a luxury; it directly affects both employees and the business. Beyond healthcare and safety, organizations must create conditions where employees can thrive: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

One of the primary differentiators between promoters and detractors in an organization is their perceived stress level at work. Those organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to employee wellbeing tend to have a higher percentage of promoters. The benefits aren't just abstract; they manifest in practical ways like lower absenteeism, higher productivity, and less turnover.

For example one customer — a global leader in management training, consulting, and coaching — understood the importance of addressing stress and burnout in their workforce. Recognizing that their employees needed more time to unplug, they added dedicated wellness days to their calendar. These holidays served to re-energize the workforce, resulted in no loss of productivity, and significantly increased employee goodwill. Such a proactive approach to employee wellbeing demonstrates a deep commitment to creating a healthy, balanced work environment that benefits both the individual and the organization as a whole.

Organon, a leading pharmaceutical company, emphasizes the broader concept of "flourishing," which is a tripartite model measuring well-being, belonging, and engagement. It's important to note that initiatives aimed at the individual level — such as resilience and mindfulness — can only go so far and end up placing the onus of well-being on the individual. Focusing on system-level barriers to well-being, such as job conditions — workload, autonomy, community, fairness, etc. — represents a more robust approach.

How do you build belonging and show value?

Cultivating a sense of belonging and making employees feel valued are crucial for improving eNPS. When employees believe that they are an integral part of the organization and their contributions are appreciated, they are likely to become advocates for the company.

More than that, feeling valued is a significant factor influencing eNPS. One effective way organizations can convey this is by including employees in decision-making processes. Closing the feedback loop on suggestions and survey results, along with providing authentic and meaningful recognition, serves as powerful demonstrations that employees are indeed valued. Contrary to popular belief, the primary source of an employee's feeling of value does not usually stem from pay. In fact, research from Perceptyx shows that compensation rarely tops the list of elements that contribute to an employee's feeling of value or their overall engagement.

This is where products like those provided by Perceptyx come into play. A product like crowdsourcing from Perceptyx can facilitate this process by allowing all employees to participate in decision-making and giving them a platform to voice their opinions. By utilizing this highly transparent method of listening, employers can identify areas of support in the work environment that promote mental health and well-being, contributing to a psychologically safe culture.

How can managers be more effective?

Managers have a direct impact on eNPS. Supportive relationships, clear feedback, and visible development opportunities lift advocacy scores.

In one notable customer success story, a software company partnered with Perceptyx to improve manager behavior. Using this product, managers' digital communications were analyzed over several months. The data showed that higher-performing managers initiated 86% more conversations with their direct reports and had a 42% higher response density than lower-performing managers. Participating managers improved their response time and response density by 26% over baseline, significantly enhancing their interaction with their teams and improving overall performance ratings.

A significant factor influencing eNPS pertains directly to the role of managers. The dynamics of their relationship with employees, which encompasses both caring about employees as individuals and task-related aspects such as performance management and professional development, are critical elements of this role. While it's commonly suggested that "people leave bosses, not companies," research — including research on manager effectiveness from Perceptyx — doesn't entirely support this cliché, highlighting the importance of viewing managerial roles more holistically.

Improving managerial effectiveness can be addressed strategically through leadership development. Agentic AI solutions can enhance leadership development — at scale and with greatly reduced overall costs — through personalized nudges and insights related to managers' behaviors. The goal should be to set up new leaders for success and positively reinforce more experienced leaders through these insights. This approach not only strengthens the leadership fabric of the organization but also boosts the eNPS by creating a more engaged and satisfied workforce.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good employee Net Promoter Score?

Any score above 0 shows more promoters than detractors. Aim for 10–30 for solid engagement; scores over 50 indicate a very strong workplace culture.

How do I calculate eNPS?

Percent promoters (9–10) − percent detractors (0–6) = eNPS. Passives (7–8) do not enter the formula, so the score runs from –100 to +100.

What question should I ask to measure eNPS?

Use one line: "On a scale of 0–10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work?"

How often should we check eNPS?

Collect the score at least twice a year. Many companies run a short quarterly pulse to spot changes sooner.

What does a negative eNPS score mean?

Negative eNPS shows more detractors than promoters, signalling retention and engagement risks. Review feedback themes—well-being, inclusion, and manager effectiveness—to address the root causes.

How Perceptyx improves eNPS with continuous listening

A targeted approach to enhancing eNPS can yield successful results. Creating a workplace environment that promotes wellbeing, fosters a sense of belonging and feeling valued, and improves managerial effectiveness is not an easy task. It requires constant feedback, analysis, and action. However, as the examples mentioned above illustrate, organizations that invest in these areas can drive significant improvements in their eNPS.

The rewards of a high eNPS go beyond numbers — the score represents a workforce that feels valued and engaged, ready to act as powerful promoters of their organization. This outcome leads to higher productivity, reduced turnover, and a healthier, more dynamic company culture that is ready to face future challenges and opportunities. Schedule a meeting with a member of our team to learn more.