Successful organizations owe their success primarily to their employees. Motivated and satisfied employees demonstrably deliver higher customer satisfaction. Regular, accessible measurement of employee satisfaction (MTO) or the Employee Experience (EX) therefore offers significant opportunities. However, look beyond the scores given by participating employees. You can probably learn the most from employees who do not participate.
The importance of the Employee Experience
Awareness continues to grow. Well-trained employees who approach their work with dedication – with heart and mind – are crucial to organizational success. A better EX leads to a better Customer Experience (CX). A few figures: companies with highly engaged employees score 22% higher on customer satisfaction, have 40% lower turnover, work 47% to 202% more effectively than competitors, and their revenue growth is 2,5 times greater than that of competitors with low engagement. It therefore makes sense that ambitious companies want to create a work environment in which employees can excel. And they want to retain enthusiastic, talented and engaged employees who fit their organization.
From MTO to measuring eNPS or EX
Interest in measuring employee satisfaction – packaged as EX, eNPS (employee Net Promotor Score) or the traditional MTO (employee satisfaction survey) – is therefore increasing significantly. So is interest in the measurable relationship between Employee Experience and Customer Experience (EX and CX). Asking employees about their experience of their work situation provides employers with valuable insights and action points.
Look beyond MTO responses
Measuring employee satisfaction was traditionally often done using a conventional ‘MTO’. For this, employees completed a long questionnaire from an external research agency once every one or two years. This takes participants a great deal of time and energy, and because it contains (or seems to contain) a lot of repetition, the response rate is often low. In social science research (for example, into political preferences), that need not be a problem, as long as the responses are representative of the entire group.
When measuring EX, things are different. Here, feedback from employees who do not make time or give priority to answering the questions is particularly interesting. So look beyond the responses and your ‘score’. More responses provide more insights and opportunities for improvement initiatives within the organization and for HRM.
Modern measurements: EX or eNPS
Fortunately, EX can now be measured in a much more modern, simpler and more accessible way: online, quickly, continuously where necessary, and with just a few smart questions at the right time. This significantly increases the response rate and the amount of valuable, up-to-date (!) feedback. In our modern society, people certainly want to share their opinions or assessments. But they want to do so quickly, purposefully and when they know that something will (probably) be done with them.
Modern measurement can reveal the previously ‘hidden experience’ – feedback from the group that rarely or never responded – and this can be explored in greater depth. Taking small measurements more frequently or continuously is also valuable because employees' needs now change more quickly.
Taking a closer look after measuring eNPS
Measuring the employee Net Promotor Score (eNPS) is a simple way to measure employees' enthusiasm for the organization. The question is similar to the NPS question for customer loyalty. Naturally, however, it focuses less on recommending a company to other customers and more on the perspective of working people. For example, with the question: How likely are you to recommend your employer to people you know? The score is expressed as a percentage. Be sure to explore it further. Why is someone enthusiastic or not? Why does someone give their employer a 6,5 rather than a 9 or 10? That is what we want to know!
Measuring EX better: opportunities for HRM
It is important to explore employee feedback in more depth and continue monitoring EX. This allows you to consistently ask the best short, smart questions at the right time. It provides valuable insights for taking targeted action to improve EX. That means opportunities for HRM and HR projects! And opportunities for HR to contribute directly to business results and targeted support for line and team managers.
