By Ava Kaveh, Graduate Data & Insight Analyst at New Possible
Feedback captured by New Possible’s NP360 people experience survey finds that development and progression was key to employee satisfaction in H1 2024.
In this article we explore the top positive and negative drivers behind employee satisfaction (eNPS) in H1 2024 compared to H2 2023, focusing on responses to ‘What do you like about working at your organisation?’ and ‘What could be improved about working at your organisation?’.
As a quick reminder, the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is on a 0-10 response scale and measures how likely employees are to recommend their workplace. Employees are classified as promoters (people who score 9-10), passives (7-8), or detractors (0-6). eNPS is calculated by subtracting the share of detractors from the share of promoters.
We found that a lack of development and progression is now the top reason employees say they’re unlikely to recommend an organisation. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis is fuelling demand to progress up the pay ladder, while rapid adoption of AI is creating urgency around skill gaps and opportunities. In fact, a recent Ipsos study revealed that 79% of UK employees think it’s important to learn a new skill to improve their career path in the next 12 months.
Sarah Montgomery, Director at Delve, an organisational development consultancy, commented, "At Delve, clients we work with consistently state that opportunities for development and career progression are critical factors influencing engagement levels and it’s crucial for organisations to invest in these areas. Employers who focus on ensuring that leaders are trained to have highly effective conversations about development and progression are in a much better position for tapping into the unique talent and building the strengths of all their team members".
Culture and leadership also remain significant drivers - but what exactly is a ‘healthy’ culture? In the following word clouds, we compare how promoters and detractors most frequently describe their organisation:
Satisfied employees most often describe their organisation as friendly, fun, supportive and inclusive, in contrast to unhappy employees who frequently talk about an environment that’s unprofessional, disrespectful, challenging and leaves them feeling undervalued.
As we previously found in our What Workers Want 2024 survey, flexibility continues to be a powerful differentiator when trying to attract and retain talent.
The findings also suggest that pay is generally seen as a hygiene factor. Once pay expectations have been met, other factors such as career development, healthy culture, and flexibility have a greater impact on overall satisfaction.
In summary, by continuously identifying, tracking and benchmarking the key themes driving satisfaction and loyalty, organisations are better placed to create people experiences that win the hearts and minds of employees both now and into the future.
About New Possible
New Possible is the people insight platform that’s committed to your success. We work with a range of sectors to provide clear, actionable, and benchmarkable insights across the employee lifecycle. Our NP360 survey helps leaders gain meaningful insight into the broader people experience, measuring 7 themes, including satisfaction, culture, and wellbeing. Read about our mission, or book a demo to learn more.
If you’d like to discuss this research further, please email hello@newpossible.io or call 0161 706 0618.
