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News
David Woods, 29 Mar 2011
The prime minister today gave his backing to a new independent Employee Engagement Task Force during a launch event at 10 Downing Street.
The Task Force will ensure that a range of practical opportunities are made available for organisations wanting to learn about engagement.
It will share good practice, generate debate and offer support via a new website. It will build on the report 'Engaging for Success', which David MacLeod (pictured) and Nita Clarke produced in 2009 for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
At the launch of the Task Force, prime minister David Cameron said: "This taskforce has my full support because I know that it will work to bring together two of my government's top priorities - delivering sustainable growth across the UK, and coming up with new approaches to help people improve their wellbeing.
"I think the public and private sectors can learn a lot from each other. This initiative fits well with our agenda of devolved power and authority and shows how effective companies can be when they feel empowered. I am delighted that the Employment Engagement Taskforce has come together to develop practical ways to help all employers learn from the best, to break down barriers to engagement and to raise the profile of this whole agenda."
Chair of the Employment Engagement Task Force David MacLeod said: "If employee engagement and the principles that lie behind it were more widely understood and shared we could see a step change in productivity and performance across the UK, and a rise in levels of employee wellbeing and motivation. Engaged employees will be key to growth in the private sector and 'better for less' in the public sector."
The Task Force will collaborate with leading academics, think tanks and leading practitioners. It will report back next year on the strategies it recommends that organisations should adopt to promote best practice and learning.
The Task Force will also tackle key issues identified in the MacLeod Review such as the barriers to wider adoption of engagement, how to harness engagement for innovation and how to maintain morale through difficult challenges such as downsizing. The remaining members will be confirmed when the Task Force next meets in April.
The CIPD welcomed the announcement.
Jackie Orme, CIPD chief executive, said: "We warmly welcome the Prime Minister's endorsement for the new Employee Engagement Taskforce, and look forward to playing an active role in the taskforce. David Macleod is a substantial figure. The report he produced for the last government was an impressive piece of work, and we're delighted that the new government is picking it up and running with it in this way.
"The Government is rightly focused on delivering growth in the private sector, and improved productivity and innovation in the public sector. The importance of a well-led, well-managed, engaged and motivated workforce in delivering sustained growth cannot be underestimated. There is significant evidence to suggest the UK is suffering from a leadership and management skills deficit, and this Taskforce should provide a catalyst for action to plug this gap.
"We've consistently called for government to play a role in encouraging greater investment in the management and leadership skills that will drive improved employee engagement and boost UK productivity. Through this taskforce, in partnership with the Government and employers from all sectors, we're committed to delivering on that objective. This taskforce has a crucial role to play in boosting UK competitiveness and building an economic recovery that lasts."
5 comments on this article |
Scott McArthur 29 Mar 2011
This is very good news. However, there is a big but. The HR community has to develope absolute clarity on the "how". McLeod and Co have provided a strong business case but as yet neither they nor many others are able to clearly demonstrate how to build employee engagement. What do you do, how much does it cost, what are the practical tools that you can use, how are these developed etc. It would be very interesting, for example, to understand if the organisations claiming to have implemented such programmes actually set out to do so....ie I suspect there is a lot of retro fitting going on here!
Craig Stoddart, Innergy 29 Mar 2011
It is correct to highlight the delivery of engagement as the most challenging aspect of this. There is certainly plenty of measurement. Sometimes too much. There is nothing ‘soft and cuddly’ about getting engagement right – just plain good business sense. Think about some really well engaged people in your business and what they are like: * They bring passion and energy to the workplace * They are more productive than the average * They take ownership for success beyond their specific role * They do what they can for customers and colleagues and often go the extra mile * They do not tolerate underperformance from others and take responsibility, acting as an extension of the management team * They think about what is right for the business and not just for them This in turn leads to higher customer satisfaction, productivity and profits. Not many us wouldn’t want that in our teams or across the organisation. There are, in my opinion, 6 critical steps to getting it right: * Have a vision that people can relate to (challenging, inspirational, relevant, understandable) for the team and the business * Ensure you have the right people in management roles * Focus on developing the leadership and management skills of the management, especially listening skills * Implement a comprehensive communication plan (what, when, how, who and review) * Get feedback between teams and departments as to what would improve working relationships and effectiveness and reduce conflict. One action from every team will make a significant difference. * Create opportunities for employee involvement in business improvement. * Recognise success – it doesn’t need to cost Implement the above and enjoy your own transformation. We have seen it work many times in large and small organisations, but it takes a good deal of management willpower. It tends to fail where there is lack of buy in at the top to the benefits.
Peter A Hunter 30 Mar 2011
Engaging for Success contained several quotes from individuals who clearly knew what engagement was, and how to produce it, but the report itself did not recognise these comments for what they were. It is to be hoped that having recognised the value of an engaged workforce this task-force will recognise what has been preventing the workforce from engaging. By understanding this we will see what needs to happen to create a new environment that will allow the workforce to engage. As long as we persist in the notion that Engagement is something that we do to people we will encounter the resistance that will cause our initiative to fail. When we understand that engagement is a choice made by the workforce of their own free will, we can set about creating the conditions that will allow them to make that choice. Peter A Hunter
Raffaela Goodby 30 Mar 2011
As someone involved in the original Macleod review, and having worked with David and Nita over the past few years, I can absolutely say that I feel positive about the new launch. Gaining stakeholder buy in from the new government, and support for engagement interventions and activities is an encouraging step, and provides a platform for some real practitioner action. All great stuff, looking forward to it. Raffaela http://www.birminghambest.co.uk
Sheila Parry 01 Apr 2011
Talking of the 'how', great to see the word 'listening' appearing as a must-have motivational skill. A key factor in the highest performing companies on the engagement front is allowing employees a voice. Not just to respond to messaging and information from a distant leadership but to take part and contribute to the corporate narrative and strategic agenda in the first place. Successful companies encourage and reward employees for showing initiative - often through introducing powerful communications channels and processes where listening is as important as broadcasting. www.theblueballroom.com
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