Employee engagement is vital to business success

The UK could deliver up to £26bn GDP growth by better engaging its employees, a new report from the Engage for Success task force reveals. CEOs from across the UK came together earlier this month to call for every leader and manager in the economy to help tackle the UK’s employee engagement deficit by inspiring and motivating their workforces.

Senior figures representing some of the country’s most recognisable organisations – BT, Oxfam, Barclays and the NHS – presented a high level report at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, highlighting that the UK is not maximising the capabilities of 20m workers, while two thirds of workers surveyed felt they had ‘more to offer’ at work.

‘Engage for Success’ is an independent, voluntary group of business and public sector leaders, engagement practitioners and experts, dedicated to promoting the importance of employee engagement. The group was first launched by Prime Minister David Cameron in March 2011.

The group defines ‘employee engagement’ as a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values and motivated to contribute to organisational success, while being able to enhance their own sense of well-being. It underlines that engaged organisations have strong and authentic values, with clear evidence of trust and fairness based on mutual respect.

In particular, ‘Engage for Success’ believes that engagement is two way: organisations must work to engage the employee, who in turn has a choice regarding the level of engagement to offer the employer. An engaged employee experiences a blend of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, job involvement and feelings of empowerment. It is a concept that is greater than the sum of its parts, says the group.

At a time of unprecedented economic and financial uncertainty, it’s clear that an engaged, motivated workforce could significantly boost the UK’s economy. We welcome your experiences of motivating employees, members and colleagues!