What Is a Good Employee Engagement Score and What Should You Do If Yours Is Low?

Employee engagement scores can be a bit like restaurant reviews.

A four-star rating tells you something, but it does not tell you everything. Was the food excellent but the service slow? Did most people have a good experience, while a few had a very poor one?

In terms of engagement the overall number is useful, but it only becomes meaningful when you understand what sits behind it. A score that looks strong at first glance may hide issues in specific teams or locations, while a lower score may still contain clear strengths to build on.

So, what actually counts as a “good” employee engagement score? And what should you do if yours is lower than expected?

Firstly, what do we mean by an employee engagement score?

An employee engagement score is a summary measure of how employees feel about their experience at work. The questions asked explore things like pride, motivation, commitment, advocacy, leadership, communication, development, recognition and whether people feel able to do their best work.

In simple terms, it’s not just a measure of whether employees are “happy” at work. It’s a way of understanding how connected people feel to the organisation, how motivated they are to contribute, and how likely they are to speak positively about their workplace.

We calculate the score itself by taking the percentage of employees who responded positively to the engagement questions. For example, a score of 70% positive means that, on average, seven in ten responses to those questions were favourable.

There is no single universal “good” score. A score of 70% positive might be strong in one organisation, reasonable in another, and slightly underwhelming somewhere else. It depends on the sector, the organisation’s history, the questions being asked and what employees have recently experienced.

So, what should you look for in an engagement score?

A good engagement score is one that suggests most employees feel positively connected to the organisation, it’s work and their role within it.

The real value comes from looking at three things:

• How does your score compare to previous surveys? If engagement has improved, even modestly, this can suggest things are moving in the right direction.
• How does it compare to relevant benchmarks? External comparisons can help show whether your result is broadly in line with, above or below similar organisations.
• How consistent is the score across the organisation? An overall score might look healthy, but hide major differences between teams, departments, locations or employee groups.

Why a drop in your engagement score isn’t always a disaster 

Seeing your engagement score fall can feel uncomfortable, particularly if leaders have invested time and effort into improving the employee experience. 

But a drop in score isn’t automatically a sign of failure. Engagement scores are relative and contextual. A shift may reflect recent organisational change, increased workload, sector pressures, restructuring, leadership transitions or simply a workforce that feels more confident sharing honest feedback. 

The important thing is to understand what has changed and where. Is the drop seen across the organisation, or is it concentrated in particular teams, locations or employee groups? Are the same issues appearing year after year, or has something new emerged? 

A falling score should be treated as a signal, not a verdict. It gives employees a structured way to say, “Something feels different, and this needs attention.” 

The real problem isn’t seeing a drop in your score, it’s seeing the warning signs and doing nothing with them. 

How can you improve your engagement score? 

The first step is to avoid jumping straight to solutions. It can be tempting to launch a new initiative, benefit or communications campaign, but without understanding what is driving the result, you risk fixing the wrong thing. 

Start by looking beneath the overall score. Which groups are most and least positive? Are there differences by department, location, role, length of service or working pattern? 

Next, identify the strongest drivers of engagement. The most useful question isn’t just “what scored lowest?” but “what is most likely to be affecting engagement?” A low score could be linked to workload, leadership visibility, manager capability, communication, pay, progression, recognition, change fatigue or lack of voice. 

Survey comments are also important. They bring the numbers to life and help explain the “why” behind the results. A single strongly worded comment should not outweigh the wider evidence, but repeated themes are worth taking seriously. 

Once the results are understood, be honest with employees. Acknowledge what they have said, thank them for their feedback and be clear about the areas that need improvement. 

Finally, focus on a small number of meaningful actions. Trying to fix everything at once can quickly become overwhelming. It’s usually better to choose a few visible, realistic priorities that are clearly linked to the survey findings.

The number is useful. The action is what counts.

It’s natural to want to see a strong employee engagement, or to feel concerned when scores have dropped. But the real value of engagement research isn’t just the number itself. It’s what the number helps you understand. 

A strong score should prompt the question: what are we doing well, and how do we protect it? 

A drop in score should prompt the question: what has changed, where are the shifts happening, and what are we prepared to do about it? 

The most useful engagement score isn’t always the highest one. It’s the one that leads to better conversations, better decisions and better outcomes for employees. 

Need help making sense of your engagement results?

Understanding your employee engagement score is one thing. Knowing what to do next is where the real value sits.

At The Survey Initiative, we help organisations move beyond the headline number by identifying what is driving engagement, where experiences differ across teams, and which actions are most likely to make a meaningful difference.

Whether your scores are strong, lower than expected, or somewhere in between, we can help you turn employee feedback into clear, practical next steps.

If you would like support with your next employee engagement survey, results analysis or action planning, get in touch with our team!