28th April 2011
Nita Clarke introduces the Employee Engagement Taskforce and sets out their work over the coming months
In 2009 David MacLeod and I launched our report, Engaging for Success, presenting government with the evidence we had gathered on the impact of employee engagement on performance and productivity, and its importance to the future of the UK economy. People are at the heart of success for companies and organisations, so whether or not the workforce is positively encouraged to perform at its best should be a key consideration for every leader and manager, and should be placed at the heart of business strategy. Where this happens the results are transformational.
We were overwhelmed by the interest and support of business, public and third sector leaders. We knew that we had hit on the issue that really mattered to people who were leading organisations in the UK today.
Since our report was published the economy has gone through a recession and the public sector has entered a new era of reduced public spending. Yet the CBI’s own research shows that last year employee engagement was the number one concern for CEOs. If anything, a tougher economic environment has made the need for employee engagement even more apparent, and not just to leaders. Employee wellbeing has taken a hit, particularly in those organisations facing uncertainty or difficult change, with consequences for individual health and happiness as well as performance.
So we have the evidence on the importance of employee engagement, and we know that it is a priority for leaders. The challenge is how do we actually do it – how can we improve employee engagement? Large corporations may have the resources to get specialist advice or implement new schemes, but what about SMEs? How can organisations get information and advice on engagement and make connections with similar organisations they can learn from? There are brilliant organisations developing new ways to engage employees across the country, but how do we ensure that the lessons they learned are available to others?
We also need to return to some of the trickier challenges raised in our earlier work. If the benefits of employee engagement are so apparent, then why isn’t everyone doing it already? Employee engagement is all very well when the order book is bulging, but what about when you’re facing the prospect of downsizing? Or, do our tried and tested approaches to employee engagement work in organisations where most employees work remotely, and rarely come face to face with their line manager?
It was in recognition of the practical challenges of improving employee engagement that David and I were asked to chair the new Employee Engagement Taskforce. Launched last month it is sponsored by government but led by employers. Over the next eighteen months the work of the Taskforce will be to develop practical solutions, advice and support for all those interested in engaging employees. We want to ensure there is effective information sharing to help companies and organisations learn from each other and share good practice, swap ideas and insights and discover the support that others can offer. And of course, we will continue to spread the message that engagement can offer huge benefits for employers and employees.
Alongside the Taskforce, we have put together a group of practitioners who can bring real knowledge and experience of actually putting this into practice, and a group of ‘gurus’ who can ensure that our work is informed by the latest research and thinking.
The Taskforce was launched by David Cameron and the business minister Ed Davey at number 10 Downing Street. The prime minister offered his support to the Taskforce because, in his words, “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.”
Our challenge is to ensure that the Taskforce delivers on both these fronts. We look forward to working with many of the IPA’s members and friends over the coming months as the Taskforce begins its work.
Nita Clarke is director of the IPA and vice chair of the Employee Engagement Taskforce
www.engagingforsuccess.org
