Amari begrudgingly logs into his computer to start the work day. He sits silently in collaborative meetings, doesn’t respond to Slack messages, and takes an unusual amount of sick days. What’s going on?
Unfortunately, Amari has become disengaged from his organization. And while his constant absence from work is an indicator that something is amiss, it slides under the radar of his fully remote company.
It’s not shocking that increased absenteeism is common when employees are burned out. And while taking PTO and sick days is normal – the average absence rate is 2.8% (one day) per month – higher absences suggest disengagement. Not only does perpetual absenteeism affect all employees (ones who are calling off and their teammates who carry the workload), it also affects your company. A high absence rate eventually leads to poor company culture and high turnover.
So how can you help prioritize your employee experience to prevent chronic absenteeism? Employer net promoter score, or eNPS, surveys are an excellent place to start.
eNPS is a popular feedback metric that organizations use to measure and improve their employee experience. It’s based on the same net promoter score surveying tool that brands use to track customer loyalty.
Most companies gauge eNPS scores through a simple survey that asks employees how likely they are to recommend their organization as a place to work. Responses are recorded on a 0-10 scale, which are then divided into the following categories:
Some companies take their eNPS survey a step further and ask employees to explain their score (although, if you go this route, be aware that fill-in-the-bank options are often a deterrent for people).
Either way, the results from surveys drive insights into just how satisfied employees are with their roles, career paths, and workplace as a whole.
Easily create, distribute, and analyze results of your eNPS surveys within a modern people operations platform.
We all know that prioritizing employee engagement is a must if you’re looking to boost morale, drive innovation, and increase revenue. But did you know it also affects your absence rate? In fact, Gallup notes that 81% of organizations that have low employee engagement also experience high levels of absenteeism.
It’s therefore an essential practice to survey your employees regularly to get a pulse on their thoughts, feelings, and overall employee experience. And while there’s many types of surveys to send – including ones that assess burnout and DEIB efforts – you can also deploy simple eNPS surveys to help identify any issues.
Below are five steps to successfully use eNPS surveys, and as a result, reduce employees’ absence from work.
In order to make the most of your surveying efforts, you must establish an eNPS benchmark. To start, calculate your current eNPS rate. Use scores from previous surveys in the formula below:
While a single digit score isn’t enough to fully understand the ins-and-outs of engagement within your organization, it can provide a baseline to know what you’re measuring and help you move forward.
However, quantifying your current engagement levels is only half of your benchmark. You should also use feedback from open-ended responses to guide your efforts. For example, if a number of employees noted their frustration with “lack of career pathing,” your team may choose to prioritize career development, training, and other opportunities for growth.
Don’t worry if you haven’t deployed eNPS surveys in the past. Sending one out now, and then next quarter, will help you determine a benchmark moving forward.
Like other surveys, eNPS surveys aren’t a one-and-done deal. It’s therefore important to establish a steady cadence so you can see the results of your efforts, all while providing ample opportunities to pivot and re-evaluate engagement strategies.
This doesn’t mean bombarding your employees with weekly polls; instead, use a quarterly or bi-annual survey for a pulse check that’s not too intrusive.
Other preferred practices for sending out surveys are:
As mentioned before, basic eNPS surveys ask employees to answer how likely they are to recommend their organization as a place to work on a 0-10 scale. However, most modern eNPS surveys go beyond this question to evaluate engagement more thoroughly. Robust surveys also provide space for employees to expand on their answers. Other strategies include asking employees to rank statements around brand and mission, company culture, leadership, and professional development.
Consider asking the following, also on a 0-10 scale:
To reiterate, scores alone don’t necessarily provide the granular insights needed to enact change and prevent absenteeism. However, when you pair your eNPS score with qualitative people data, like the questions above or other solicited feedback, you’re one step closer to creating a stronger employee experience.
You’ve set a benchmark. You’ve collected feedback. Now it’s time to analyze your results.
And while you can always use spreadsheets and complicated equations to determine areas of strength and opportunity, it’s more efficient to use a people operations platform to visualize your data.
With ChartHop, you can quickly visualize your survey answers to better understand what’s happening within your organization.
Seeing your eNPS survey results come to life on-screen in dynamic charts enables you to:
Whether you’re using spreadsheets or optimizing your people data through a platform, you need to create, communicate, and implement a plan moving forward. This step may be the most important, as you’re acknowledging feedback and ideally changing your workplace environment for the better.
While initiatives look different at every organization, a company-wide rollout helps generate buy-in and signal to your people that their experiences and feedback matter. You’ll then want to revisit your efforts by sending out additional surveys and analyzing your new absence rate, well after changes are underway, to see if you’re moving in the right direction.
Absenteeism is a normal and healthy part of any workplace environment, especially if employees are taking time off to return rejuvenated. But when absences from work become persistent, your overall absence rate may indicate a need for additional efforts to optimize your employee experience.
Luckily, tools like eNPS surveys help prioritize the employee experience. When combined with a people operations platform, eNPS survey results allow you to create a data-driven strategy that addresses absenteeism issues, elevates employee engagement, and ultimately, drives a better bottom line.
Sign up for a free demo today.