Dell's eNPS Falls Amid Flexibility Issues and Layoffs

Dell Technologies’ Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) plummeted from 63 to 48 amid dissatisfaction with new remote work policies and increased surveillance. This decline follows significant layoffs and contradicts the company’s earlier flexible work commitments, raising concerns about how well Dell’s leadership is addressing employee feedback and impacting overall morale, reports Fortune. 

The company's Tell Dell survey, conducted in May and released in late June, involved approximately 98,000 participants. It assessed the  employee sentiment, which reported a significant decline in the employee net promoter score (eNPS) from 63 to 48 over the past year. This score reflects how likely employees are to recommend Dell as a workplace. 

An anonymous Dell employee commented, “No matter what, I have never seen a score move that fast in the wrong direction.”

Dell spokespersons acknowledged the decline but suggested that the survey results include positive metrics as well, noting that Dell remains above industry averages according to Perceptyx, a leading provider of enterprise-grade employee listening, analytics, and behavioral science.  

Fortune reports that the drop in employee satisfaction follows a series of contentious decisions by Dell, including a significant workforce reduction. In 2023, the company laid off 13,000 global employees in two rounds, with an additional 6,000 laid off in 2024, as reported by Linkedin. Remaining employees faced new policies, including a mandate for career advancement that required remote workers to transition to hybrid roles.

The company’s remote work policies have sparked debate, especially given current workforce trends. MBN reports show female job seekers prioritize remote work about 25% more than men, indicating a strong preference for flexibility. Additionally, a Robert Half survey, as reported in MBN, reveals that over 40% of workers lose interest in job ads lacking remote options. This data highlights a growing demand for flexible work arrangements, contrasting sharply with the company's contentious approach to remote work and underscoring the need for policies that align with modern employees. 

Dell introduced employee surveillance and monitoring systems in May, grading workers' attendance with a color-coded system of blue, green, yellow, and red flags. This move was part of a broader policy change announced in February, which indicated that remote employees would face limitations in career progression.

Dell had previously been a proponent of flexible work arrangements. In May 2020, Jeff Clarke, Dell’s Vice Chairman and COO, DELL Technologies, noted that the company was leaning into flexible work policies, with 65% of employees utilizing them. The 2022 Future of Work report aimed for 60% of the workforce to work remotely on any given day.

Despite these earlier commitments, Dell’s recent shift toward mandatory in-office presence and strict monitoring has led to dissatisfaction among employees. Internal data from June indicated that nearly half of Dell's full-time employees opted to remain remote. Some workers have expressed frustration over the perceived disregard of the survey feedback by company leaders, with one employee stating, “It is as if every leader was given the OK to ignore it.”