Sustainability and business, the role of employee eNPS

The future is corporate sustainability, the commitment to include in one's business not only the economic dimension but also the social and environmental one. A concept that refers to the idea of sustainable development built by the UN Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals and that is fully expressed in the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. To get to the point of integrating sustainability into the way you operate, you have to take small steps, starting with building a team loyal to the company's goals and values. With a satisfied workforce, you can improve production and aim for higher goals such as social welfare, fair governance and environmental care.

If your company's intent is to improve employee satisfaction in order to expand views on corporate sustainability, get ready to learn more about the Employee - Net Promoter Score. This is an employee net promoter score that reveals workforce satisfaction, engagement as well as loyalty to the company. The eNPS is akin to the Net Promoter Score in the field of marketing. The latter indicator measures customer loyalty to a product or service. The results are achieved by asking respondents two simple questions. "How likely would you be to recommend the company to a friend or family member on a scale of 1 to 10?" and "How could the company improve on the given score?". A logic easily applicable to the eNPS as well. A few questions to measure the level of employee satisfaction and loyalty to the company. Workforce loyalty is as critical to success as, if not more so than, customer loyalty.

To construct the eNPS, employees are asked how willing they are to recommend their jobs to relatives or friends. A simple question that will not bore employees as much as a long questionnaire. The results, then, will be easy to calculate, compare and repeat at regular intervals. The workforce's response requires a score from zero to ten. A high score will indicate maximum satisfaction on the part of the employees in their work and in the company. In the case of a low score, the eNPS could be supplemented with further questions to understand why a low score was given and what areas should be improved to increase workforce satisfaction and thus company productivity.

The detractors are divided into three categories, namely detractors, passives and promoters according to their score. The detractors are those who gave a score from zero to six. These are workers who are definitely unsatisfied with the company organisation and will have no qualms about speaking negatively about the company. The employer will have to understand the reasons behind such annoyance and dissatisfaction by showing interest in the employee's state of mind and directly asking the dissatisfied person what changes should be made. The passives award scores between seven and eight. They will neither promote the company nor give negative opinions. They are generally satisfied but not so much as to emphasise their feelings about the organisation. The company should investigate the reason for this attitude so as to work on making the passive ones into promoters.

Employees are defined as promoters who have assigned a score of nine or ten. They are satisfied with the work of the company, would recommend their employment to friends and relatives and are faithful to the employer. This does not mean disinterest in them. Understanding where satisfaction comes from will allow positive feedback to be used to focus on company strengths and improve the eNPS. The indicator is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors to that of promoters. Let us assume that 55% of the employees are promoters and 20% detractors, the Employee - Net Promoter Score would be 35. This is considered a good result because it is above 0 in a range from -100 to + 100. Only if the eNPS is above 50 will it be considered excellent.

The results of the eNPS must be contextualised in order to be interpreted correctly and used to improve employee satisfaction. HR Managers use the indicator to assess not only the confidence of the workforce in the company but also to identify problems in personnel management, to improve the employee experience, monitor performance over time. The aim is to understand which needs are not being met and whether it is necessary to start a process of optimising the working environment by including, for example, training and development opportunities. If repeated frequently, then the reports will indicate the effectiveness or otherwise of the changes implemented.

By knowing the eNPS one can immediately react to a negative value by avoiding or reducing employee turnover, i.e. the frequency with which the workforce leaves the company. The higher the number of dissatisfied workers, the greater the risk of having to change employees frequently. Above 15% turnover is considered high with a consequent negative impact on company profitability. If the shortcomings the employee feels are linked to a bad company culture they can be overcome but to do so will require calculation of the Employee - Net Promoter Score. 3Bee works in this direction by offering companies engagement experiences - such as Academy and company workshops - for their people: a advanced training model that can generate value not only for the company but also for the employees themselves.

Once the areas for improvement have been identified, action can be taken on the problems detected. Just listening to and implementing employee feedback can increase the morale of the workforce. If the employer demonstrates understanding of discomfort, employees will feel respected and included especially when they see the first interventions being implemented. It is important that people freely express concerns, ideas, points of view, but it is also crucial to involve them in dedicated activities to promote sustainable values. 3Bee, through its Oasis of Biodiversity project - urban and agroforestry habitats created in areas and soils with low biodiversity - enables companies to demonstrate greater commitment to sustainability and environmental conservation. Adopting an oasis and organising a guided tour will allow employees to get in touch with nature while improving eNPS and corporate well-being.

The results of the eNPS must spur you to take certain actions to increase the involvement of employees. We suggest creating a positive and motivating work environment, ensuring that employees feel valued and at the centre of the business on a par with customers, offering professional development opportunities and training. Opting for sustainable business experiences achieves two goals: investing in employee training and the health of our planet. Don't forget to listen to employees' needs while maintaining transparent and open communication. Finally, use the eNPS to identify issues that discourage the workforce and improve employee experience and increase retention.

Let us summarise in conclusion the advantages of the calculation of employee satisfaction indicator as well as their loyalty to the company. It allows measuring the wellbeing of employees by asking them a simple question, without stressing them with questionnaires or complicated tests. It allows you to make quick decisions and quickly understand the interventions to be put in place especially if you ask the worker why a score is low. The eNPS, in fact, is measured in real time and corrective action can be taken instantly. The main advantage, finally, is that critics, the so-called detractors, can be turned into promoters. Corporate productivity will benefit and having created a healthy and happy working environment it will be easier to achieve the sustainable corporate development goals. Want to learn more? Contact us to start your journey towards biodiversity.



Article edited by Valentina Trogu