Need a new way to measure engagement? It's here

Engagement is the biggest challenge facing any people leader. While we know the root causes of high engagement in theory, achieving it remains as mysterious and distant a goal for many companies as it ever has.

Jill Christensen, Employee Engagement Expert, Best-Selling Author and HRD Thought Leader, gives you an inside look into how you can get a better handle on employee engagement in your organization, so that you have the tools you need to improve it.

---

People ask me if there is a way to measure engagement besides using an employee engagement survey.  The answer?  Yes, there is.  eNPS, or Employee Net Promoter Score, is a one-question survey that measures the likelihood of whether an employee would be willing to recommend your organization as a place to work.

What is eNPS?

Originally a way to measure customer loyalty, NPS has been expanded to measure employee loyalty.  And while it’s not meant to be a complete way of measuring employee engagement, because it’s only one question, eNPS is a simple way for a company to get started.

How does it work?  Employees are asked one question: On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this organization as a good place to work?  Answers are broken down into three categories: Detractors (0-6), Passives (7-8), and Promoters (9-10).  Your eNPS score – which can range from -100 to +100 – is tallied by subtracting your percent of Detractors from your percent of Promoters.  Passives are not counted because they are considered neutral.

eNPS = % of Promoters minus % of Detractors

What is a good eNPS score?  Anything between +10-50, is considered to be very favorable, but if your score is below 0, don’t beat yourself up.  I just read an article by a consulting firm that has been measuring eNPS for a decade for European and Australian companies.  The average score across their clients is a paltry -10%.  Achieving a positive eNPS is a solid achievement.

What can I do?

Execute eNPS in your organization.  Knowledge is power, my friends.  When you know what your employees think about your culture, you can put a plan in place to improve.  It’s a new year.  Tackle this issue and make improvements, and I promise it will be a year like no other.