People InterAction

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Justin King, the CEO of Sainsbury's, offers advice to bosses about how to get started with employee engagement. He has contributed to the package of advice, which has been developed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to help employers put the principles of employee engagement into practice - and improve business performance as a result. This employee engagement guidance will be launched tomorrow, on Tuesday, March 23.

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Ahead of the launch of the Government guidance tomorrow, to help bosses better engage their employees, Philip Green tells why employee engagement is so important to his organisation.

We have received a thought provoking email from Brian J. Lenaghan

I have been reading through the employee engagement section and find there is no definition of what Employee Engagement is. There appears to be a lack of definition throughout the academic and practitioner literature. David MacLeod and Nita Clark also found over 50 definitions in their study. It appears to merge from a set of practices (Engaging with) to a frame of mind (Being engaged). The Gallup study and many of the widely used staff surveys which attempt to measure Employee Engagement focus on the “frame of mind” of the employee whereas the action planning to improve Employee Engagement tends to focus on the “engaging with” aspects. It would be helpful if Employee Engagement were defined in order to remove the tendency to drift between meanings.

Many writers in the field note that there is a lack of clarity in the definition and adding clarity of meaning for individual organisations must add value through reducing ambiguity.

What do you think? Do you agree with Brian J Lenaghan? If you have a view, please share your thoughts here. 

Eric Peacock is a leader of ten SMEs, and he tells us why he thinks employee engagement has to be a priority in every business.

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Just a few days before the Government launches new guidance, on March 23, to help bosses better engage their employees, David MacLeod and Nita Clarke share their views on how employers can engage with their staff and why they should be doing it.

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The Sunday Times and Best Companies have revealed their first ever list of 75 Best Places to Work in the Public Sector. After reading numerous reports in recent weeks about public sector cost cutting and low morale, it is encouraging to hear about how organisations such as Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Broadland District Council and Careers South West are encouraging and motivating their staff to achieve better performance. I applaud them on their vision and their achievement. 

Unsurprisingly, the Sunday Times recognises that all of the top 75 have strong levels of employee engagement within their organisation. And it rightly points out that employee engagement has helped the winning organisations make a real difference to people's daily lives.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article7059990.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

However, I think is worth emphasising that employee engagement is about much more than job satisfaction. It is about ensuring that your employees feel an integral part of the organisation so they can contribute to it and improve its performance: and this is reflected in their sense of wellbeing, their commitment to their work and the way they represent the organisation to the public.

Indeed, Sir Gus O'Donnell, Head of the Home Civil Service, recently stated that strong employee engagement has a strong connection with productivity. Meanwhile, in a study from Towers Watson, 78 per cent of highly engaged employees in the UK public sector said they could make an impact on public services delivery or customer service. That's compared to just 29 per cent of the disengaged.

Leaders across the public sector have an opportunity - in fact, an imperative - to create an engaging, productive culture that ensures that staff wellbeing is a priority, and will give employees greater fulfilment. This will help enhance their performance in a sustainable way and, in an era of constrained resources where public sector organisations are seeking 'more for less', this cannot be ignored.

David MacLeod

Co-author of 'Engaging for Success', the report from the MacLeod Review of Employee Engagement and Investment

This week, Fortune Magazine / Hay Group have launched their World’s Most Admired Companies (WMAC). And it is no coincidence that the Hay Group’s survey found that companies at the top of the list had particularly strong engagement with their employees.

The majority of respondents from the WMAC (94 percent) believe employee engagement efforts reduced employee turnover, and 85 percent believe employee engagement efforts reduced employee performance problems, compared to 67 percent and 72 percent at peer companies respectively. For more details, read here:

http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=49595

There is no question that there is a direct correlation between effective employee engagement and business productivity, innovation, attendance rate and voluntary turnover.

For organisations who would like to find out more about how they can improve the way their engage their employees, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have developed a range of practical guidance to help employers unlock the business benefits of effective employee engagement. The guidance will be available here from the 23 March.    

There is no question that there is a direct correlation between effective employee engagement and business productivity, innovation, attendance rate and voluntary turnover.

For organisations who would like to find out more about how they can improve the way their engage their employees, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have developed a range of practical guidance to help employers unlock the business benefits of effective employee engagement. The guidance will be available here from the 23 March.    

It's disappointing to read that 28% of public sector employees feel their work is unfulfilling. According to an article in this month's edition of Public Service Magazine, “28% of public sector workers experience a lack of fulfilment”. The findings are a real wake-up call for leaders who have yet to realise the benefits of effective employee engagement.

Employees who feel connected to their work, who understand their organisation's strategy and what they are expected to contribute feel a stronger personal attachment to the organisation. They feel able to voice views and ideas and to get involved in the organisation. They feel an integral part of the organisation: and this is reflected in their sense of wellbeing, their commitment at work and the way they represent the organisation to the public.

Leaders therefore have an opportunity - in fact, an imperative – to create an engaging, productive culture that will give employees greater fulfilment and help enhance their performance. In an era of constrained resources, where public sector organisations are seeking 'more for less', this is too great an opportunity to ignore.

David MacLeod

Co-author of MacLeod Review