eNPS scores are everywhere – in board slides, HR dashboards and culture reports.
But while plenty of companies know their number, far fewer know what it actually means or what to do with it.
Used well, eNPS can be a powerful signal of how employees really feel.
Used badly, it becomes just another metric that looks good on paper and changes nothing.
This guide breaks down what eNPS is, what a good score looks like, and how to use it in a way that genuinely improves employee experience.
eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) is a simple way to measure how likely your team is to recommend your company as a great place to work.
It ranges from –100 to +100 and gives HR teams a quick read on employee sentiment.
A positive score (above 0) is generally good, but it always depends on your sector and context. Many companies don’t score above 30+.
eNPS works best when paired with thoughtful follow-up questions and action plans.
eNPS borrows from the customer Net Promoter Score (NPS) concept (a well-known loyalty metric) and refocuses it on your workforce.
Here’s how it works:
Employees are either Promotors, Passives or Detractors:
Example:
Out of 100 responses:
eNPS = % Promoters – % Detractors (Passives are ignored in the formula).
eNPS = 50 – 20 = +30
This number gives you a quick snapshot of how your people feel about your culture, leadership, and workplace experience.
eNPS is popular with HR teams because it’s simple, fast and easy to understand.
It asks just one question, which makes it quick for employees to answer and straightforward to analyse.
It also gives you a clear signal of how many people genuinely support your organisation versus those who don’t, and it’s easy to benchmark scores across teams, locations or over time.
On top of that, eNPS often links closely to wider engagement signals like retention, productivity and overall culture health.
But it’s important to keep perspective. As Stribe COO, Lucy Harvey, reminds us:
“A ‘good’ eNPS doesn’t matter if employees never see change.
In fact, measuring eNPS without acting on it can do more damage than not measuring it at all – it tells people their voice was heard, then quietly ignored.”
That’s why eNPS works best viewed as a starting point, not a finish line.
eNPS gives you the number, but not the why, which is why the most effective organisations pair it with follow-up questions, deeper surveys and visible action.
We see lots of companies proudly share their eNPS score, but far fewer talk about what they actually did next. A ‘good’ eNPS doesn’t matter if employees never see change. In fact, measuring eNPS without acting on it can do more damage than not measuring it at all - it tells people their voice was heard, then quietly ignored. 
eNPS Question
Follow-up Questions
Follow-up questions are critical for helping you understand why your score is what it is and what to act on next.
Once you’ve got your eNPS score – even if it’s a good one – the most important work starts next. Best practice looks like this:
Share the results with employees and explain what you’ve heard. People are far more likely to engage with future surveys when they can see their feedback being taken seriously.
Break results down by team, location or tenure to understand what’s driving different experiences across the business.
Use follow-up or pulse surveys to uncover the reasons behind the score, rather than relying on assumptions.
Focus on patterns that come up repeatedly and be clear about what actions you’re committing to, even if progress is gradual.
The healthiest organisations treat eNPS as a starting signal, not an end goal. Regular feedback, visible action and meaningful follow-through are what improve your eNPS next time, and build real trust and engagement over the long term.
About the author
Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.
