Benchmarking
The Employee Engagement Benchmarks Q4 2024
Gain valuable insights for measuring your team’s engagement levels, drivers, and eNPS trends with our benchmark data – collated from over 500,000 employee responses from various industries and organisations. This data is from October to December 2024 (Q4 2024).
See the latest benchmarking results for your industry*
*Rolling 12 months ending December 2024
See how similar sized organisations are doing*
*Rolling 12 months ending December 2024
Engagement Index
Hive’s Engagement Index is made up of the responses to 3 core questions measuring Pride, Advocacy and Loyalty across an organisation (measured on a scale of 0 to 10 with a result of 7 and above indicating a positive score).
Compare your organisation’s Engagement Index against the benchmark to get a snapshot of how your employees are feeling.
Not sure what your score is? We can help.
The Engagement Index for the latest quarter sits at 7.1, showing steady and consistent employee sentiment. Pride is solid at 7.6, reflecting a strong sense of satisfaction and accomplishment among employees. Loyalty holds at 6.4, suggesting commitment levels are steady, while Advocacy has nudged up to 7.2, indicating more employees are willing to recommend their organisation.
Overall, these results paint a picture of a stable workplace where employees feel valued, with room to build on loyalty and keep the positive momentum going.
This quarter, the Engagement Index shows some clear differences across industries and company sizes.
Technology (7.8) and Professional Services (7.7) are leading with strong engagement scores, reflecting high employee satisfaction and loyalty. Creative and Media also performs well at 7.7, with employees clearly feeling proud and connected.
On the flip side, Government (6.5) and Health (6.4) have lower scores, which may point to challenges like burnout or limited growth opportunities affecting employee morale.
Top 5 engagement themes to emerge from Q4 2024
1. Confidence, Motivation & Communication (Strategic Direction)
2. Growth and Development
3. Autonomy and Empowerment of Meaningful Work
4. Inclusion and Belonging
5. Relationships
Top 5 engagement themes to emerge from Q4 2024
1. Confidence, Motivation & Communication (Strategic Direction)
2. Growth and Development
3. Autonomy and Empowerment of Meaningful Work
4. Inclusion and Belonging
5. Relationships
Survey Response Rates
In the last quarter, Retail (82%) and Technology (82%) had the highest response rates, showing strong employee engagement and good survey participation. Entertainment and Recreation (79%) and Manufacturing (77%) also performed well, with employees actively sharing their feedback. However, Health (42%) had a much lower response rate, which could indicate challenges with getting employees to engage in surveys, while Housing Association (61%) wasn’t much higher. Government (66%) and Education (76%) had decent participation, but there’s room for improvement. Overall, while most industries are doing well with response rates, sectors like Health may need to rethink how they encourage employees to take part in surveys. To encourage more participation, organisations can simplify the survey process, communicate its value, offer incentives, ensure confidentiality, and have leadership actively promote employee engagement in surveys.
Response rates highlight clear trends by organisation size. Smaller organisations with 250 employees have the lowest response rate at 41%. Mid-sized organisations show moderate engagement, with rates at 49% (1,000 employees) and 53% (5,000 employees). Larger organisations lead, with 60% for those with 500 employees and 63% for 5001+ employees. To improve participation, organisations should emphasise the impact of employee feedback and tailor engagement strategies, particularly in smaller and mid-sized companies.
employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)
October - December 2024
(Q3 2024)
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is an internationally recognised measure of engagement using the question ‘How likely are you to recommend our organisation as a good place to work?’ with detractors, passives and promoters. A positive score means an organisation has more advocates (promoters) than it does detractors. It is measured on a -100 to +100 scale.
What does a good eNPS score look like?
+41 and above is outstanding
+21 to +40 is very good
-10 to +20 is a typical score
-11 and below is a low, concerning score.
In the latest quarter, the overall eNPS score is 3, indicating modest employee engagement. However, the standout is a 24-point drop in the overall eNPS, suggesting a decline in employee sentiment over the past quarter, despite the score remaining positive.
Professional Services (30) and Creative and Media (30) lead with strong scores, reflecting high satisfaction, while Government (-23) and Health (-19) continue to struggle, which could be due to systemic issues like heavy workloads, low compensation, or limited career growth.
Smaller organisations (0–250 employees) perform better at 13, likely benefiting from closer teams, while larger companies (5001+) remain at -12, hinting at difficulties scaling engagement strategies.
While some sectors show promise, others need targeted efforts to address underlying challenges and boost morale.
Further analysis from our People Science team
Throughout Q4 numerous free-text questions have been asked to employees so that organisations can deep dive into employees’ thoughts, feelings and opinions surrounding specific topic areas. Of the range of questions asked, the most popular question categories were:
- Organisation positives and strengths
- Areas for improvement and challenges
Organisation positives and strengths
Identifying what the organisation does well, highlight successes, and understand what employees value most.
Insights sought:
- Key elements contributing to satisfaction and engagement.
- Positive aspects of leadership, culture, or workplace practices.
- Practices or initiatives that align with company values.
Example questions:
- What are the top 3 things we do well at?
- What are the things we are doing really well here?
- What makes a good day at work for you?
Popular themes:
Collaboration and teamwork
Leadership and support
Meaningful work and achievement
Wellbeing and culture
Areas for improvement and challenges
Exploring opportunities for growth, address challenges, and gather suggestions for improvement.
Example questions:
- Barriers to productivity or satisfaction.
- Suggestions for leadership to better support employees.
- Areas for investment, cultural changes, or process improvements.
Example questions:
- How might senior managers/leaders improve employee experience?
- What challenges are you facing at the moment?
- How might we improve employee experience here?
- If you could change one thing about your current job, what would it be?
- What one thing would improve your experience at work?
Popular themes:
Communication and transparency
Workload, resources and efficiency
Development, progression and recognition
Wellbeing, flexibility and culture
Further analysis from our People Science team
Throughout Q4 numerous free-text questions have been asked to employees so that organisations can deep dive into employees’ thoughts, feelings and opinions surrounding specific topic areas. Of the range of questions asked, the most popular question categories were:
- Organisation positives and strengths
- Areas for improvement and challenges
Organisation positives and strengths
Exploring opportunities for growth, address challenges, and gather suggestions for improvement.
Insights sought:
- Key elements contributing to satisfaction and engagement.
- Positive aspects of leadership, culture, or workplace practices.
- Practices or initiatives that align with company values.
Example questions:
- What are the top 3 things we do well at?
- What are the things we are doing really well here?
- What makes a good day at work for you?
Popular themes:
Collaboration and teamwork
Leadership and support
Meaningful work and achievement
Wellbeing and culture
Areas for improvement and challenges
Identifying what the organisation does well, highlight successes, and understand what employees value most.
Example questions:
- Barriers to productivity or satisfaction.
- Suggestions for leadership to better support employees.
- Areas for investment, cultural changes, or process improvements.
Example questions:
- How might senior managers/leaders improve employee experience?
- What challenges are you facing at the moment?
- How might we improve employee experience here?
- If you could change one thing about your current job, what would it be?
- What one thing would improve your experience at work?
Popular themes:
Communication and transparency
Workload, resources and efficiency
Development, progression and recognition
Wellbeing, flexibility and culture
Keep your finger on the pulse
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