The impact of enthusiasm on turnover and absenteeism

Turnover and absenteeism still play a major role in many organizations. There is a shortage of colleagues almost everywhere. Moreover, high absenteeism rates put additional pressure on those colleagues who do still attend, leaving little room to catch their breath. This leads to a vicious cycle of even more workload, turnover and absenteeism. You can also call it the “perfect storm. To get back into calmer waters as an organization, it is smart to invest in a healthy workload and enthusing employees.

In fact, research shows that work pressure is necessary, but in a healthy amount. A personalized approach is essential here. After all, every employee has their own load capacity and personal situation.

What is the state of my employees’ enthusiasm?

To measure how loyal and enthusiastic your employees are, you can use the widely used eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score) as a measure. The score is determined by whether you would recommend your employer to others. The eNPS score can be any number between -100 to +100. A positive eNPS is any score above 0; this means that as an organization you have more promoters than detractors (the critics). So the higher the eNPS, the more enthusiastic and happy employees.

The enthusiasm of working Holland has dropped for the first time this year. Our last Employee Experience survey found that there was an immediate 4% drop in promoters. This was true for almost all industries. But most industries are still at a positive eNPS, averaging a +6. Employees in the installation industry are the most enthusiastic, the industry had the highest eNPS of +25. Like last year, the Facilities Services industry measured the lowest eNPS. This spot is shared this year with Wholesale. Both come out at -7.

When you have an understanding of your employees’ enthusiasm, it is obviously important to get to work with this information. After all, you want your eNPS to keep rising. But what does this get you specifically?

Bring down your turnover and absenteeism

Turnover and absenteeism have by far the greatest financial impact on organizations. A departing employee will cost you a minimum of 12,000 euros*. Last year, the average attrition rate in the Netherlands was 20%. Thus, for an organization with 100 employees, this means 230,000 euros in costs. So a considerable amount of money. By working on the eNPS, you can significantly reduce these costs. Indeed, of the detractors, 50% indicated they would apply elsewhere within 12 months. Among promoters, this number is much lower, at 10%. Thus, more enthusiastic employees means less turnover.

Absenteeism is also a major challenge in many organizations. As mentioned earlier, increased workload and staff shortages are major factors in this. But things like employee job satisfaction, pride and commitment also play a role. A sick employee costs up to 400 euros per day, which can add up to tons in additional costs. Integron’s latest research shows that fewer detractors within your company means less absenteeism. So that will save you a lot. Calculate here how much you can save by working on your employee experience.

In short, a positively rising eNPS means less turnover and less absenteeism: enthusiastic employees (promoters) are less likely to be sick and less likely to leave for another job. Now you must be curious about how your employees get and stay excited. I am happy to tell you more.

This is how you keep your employees happy

Unfortunately, for improving the employee experience, there is no quick fix. However, there are some components that are important to keep an eye on:

• Provide a good workload: As mentioned earlier, workload is necessary, but a healthy amount. Make sure the workload does not get too high and take into account the employee’s workload capacity and personal situation.
• Offer flexibility: Flexibility is becoming increasingly important for employees. This can be done, for example, by providing home working opportunities, flexible working hours and vacation days that can be taken freely.
• Create a positive work atmosphere: A positive work atmosphere creates enthusiastic employees. Therefore, invest in team building activities and ensure good cooperation among colleagues.
• Give attention and appreciation: Employees value getting attention and appreciation for their work. This can be done, for example, by giving compliments, offering growth opportunities and involving employees in important decisions.
• Listen to employees: Listen to what employees have to say and take their feedback seriously. This can be done, for example, by organizing feedback sessions or setting up a feedback platform.

*Figures are calculated based on a modal income and about 20% of the departing employee’s gross annual salary up to the first three months for induction of a replacement colleague.