{"id":7930,"date":"2026-08-01T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cys.group\/?post_type=article&p=7930"},"modified":"2026-09-22T14:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T12:02:58","slug":"what-does-a-negative-enps-mean","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/cys.group\/en\/article\/what-does-a-negative-enps-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"What does a negative eNPS mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A negative eNPS means that more employees would not<\/em> recommend your organisation as an employer than those who would. Concretely: the score falls below zero, and that is a signal that the employee experience requires structural attention. In this article we answer the most frequently asked questions about a negative employee net promoter score, from calculation to improvement.<\/p>\n

How is an eNPS score calculated?<\/h2>\n

The eNPS, or employee net promoter score, is calculated by asking employees one central question: \"How likely are you to recommend this organisation as an employer?\" on a scale of 0 to 10. Promoters (9\u201310) minus detractors (0\u20136), divided by the total number of respondents and multiplied by 100, gives the eNPS score. Passives (7\u20138) are not included in the calculation.<\/p>\n

The formula works as follows:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Calculate the percentage of promoters (score 9 or 10).<\/li>\n
  2. Calculate the percentage of detractors (score 0 through 6).<\/li>\n
  3. Subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters.<\/li>\n
  4. The result is the eNPS score, which ranges from -100 to +100.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    An example: if 30% of your employees give a 9 or 10 and 50% give a 6 or lower, the eNPS is 30 minus 50 = -20. The score is negative as soon as there are more detractors than promoters. That sounds alarming, but the score alone does not tell you why<\/em> employees are dissatisfied. For that, you need the stories behind the numbers.<\/p>\n

    When is an eNPS negative, and how negative is too negative?<\/h2>\n

    An eNPS is negative as soon as the score falls below zero. Any score below zero indicates that more employees are discouraging others from joining the organisation than are recommending it. As a consistent benchmark: a score between -10 and 0 requires attention, a score between -20 and -10 requires active follow-up, and a score below -20 requires immediate action.<\/p>\n

    eNPS benchmarks vary considerably by sector. In sectors with high workloads or large operational workforces, scores are structurally lower than in knowledge-intensive environments. The most dangerous signal is not a low score at a single measurement point, but a declining trend across multiple measurements. A score that falls further every quarter tells a different story than a score that is stably low but not worsening.<\/p>\n

    Whatever the score: a negative eNPS is only useful once you know which groups of employees make up the detractors, in which department or job category dissatisfaction is greatest, and which themes recur in the open-ended responses. A number without context is a starting point, not an endpoint.<\/p>\n

    What are the most common causes of a negative eNPS?<\/h2>\n

    The most common causes of a negative employee net promoter score are a lack of recognition and growth opportunities, insufficient trust in management, high workload without adequate autonomy, and the feeling that feedback is not acted upon. None of these causes is directly visible in the score itself; they only surface when you ask follow-up questions.<\/p>\n

    From our experience in employee research, a number of patterns recur consistently:<\/p>\n