Transformation Through Employee Engagement: Meeting the Public Services Challenge

The critical role of employee engagement

Employers want employees who will do their best work and look to go the extra mile. Employees want jobs that are worthwhile and that inspire them. Effective organisations recognise the critical role employee engagement has in determining organisational success, productivity and performance. This is as true for the public sector as it is for the private sector.

This report sets out how effective employee engagement can be achieved, drawing upon case studies of independent sector organisations delivering public services to show how they have engaged their employees and given them a real say and a real stake in the company.

What they demonstrate is that employee engagement is not a nice-to-have but an essential ingredient that leaders in the public services will have to take seriously if they are to maintain good outcomes for the public, particularly at a time when budgets are increasingly tight. Engaged employees can help identify efficiencies and suggest ways to improve services to the public. And engaging the workforce in service transformation and explaining why it is necessary means they are more likely to be committed to helping the organisations achieve it.

This report therefore sets out four areas of good practice public-service managers can use to engage their workforces and meet the challenges ahead.