Summary: An engaged workforce is something that every employer wants to have. It's not always easy to achieve, so in this month's show we hear from two experts in the field of employee engagement, to find out how to get our employees to go that extra mile. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Dilys Robinson is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Studiesnbsp;and works in the HRnbsp;#38; Consultancy team there. Much of her work is commissioned by employers or employer bodies and she has spent many years studying employees attitudes, motivation and commitment. The IES definition of employee engagement was arrived at in 2002/3, following a major consultation exercise with IES member companies. It is:- "Engagement is a positive attitude held by the employee towards the organisation and it's values. An engaged employee is aware of business context and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organisation. The organisation must work to nurture, maintain and grow engagement, which requires a two way relationship between employer and employee". Dilys's findings have highlighted: THERE ARE STRONG LINKS BETWEEN ENGAGEMENT LEVELS AND ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCEnbsp; ENGAGED EMPLOYEES ARE MORE RECEPTIVE TO CHANGE ENGAGED EMPLOYEES MAKE CUSTOMERS FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE ORGANISATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT LEVELS AND TRUST #38; CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS Heintzman R and Marson B (2006) People, service and trust: links in the public sector service value chain. Canadian Government Executive The 4nbsp;main drivers of engagement are: JOB SATISIFACTION FEELING VALUED BY AND INVOLVED WITH THE ORGANISATION PERCEPTIONS OF EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY VIEWS ABOUT HOW SERIOUSLY THE ORGANISATION TAKES HEALTH AND SAFETY However, these drivers can vary considerably depending upon the organisation and the employee group. Feeling valued and involved is more important in the public sector than it is in the private sector. Surprisingly, the manager relationship did not emerge as the key driver in the public sector - it is important, but at sub-driver level, meaning that it is driving most of the drivers. To find out what your own organisation's drivers are, Dilys recommends conducting an employee attitude survey, or asking employees their viewsnbsp;more directly via facilitated workshops or focus groups. Her advice to People Managers is: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES SHOULDN'T JUST BE SEEN AS AN HR RESPONSIBILITY - to succeed, it needs firm and real commitment from the top HR HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY - in monitoring and understanding engagement levels #38; drivers MANAGERS AT ALL LEVELS SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO PLAY THEIR PART - and have a good understanding of what they need to do to be effective people managers GOOD QUALITY MANAGEMENT TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL - for first line managers and supervisors and should benbsp;reinforced throughout their careers HR SHOULD SUPPORT THE LINE - with good clear policies and procedures EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED - to raise issues and concerns, take responsibility for problems and make suggestions for improvements And to keep employees engaged through these difficult economic times, Dilys advises organisationsnbsp;to be wise, keep faith with their employees and tonbsp;continue with their engagement strategies, in order to give reassurance and encouragement to employees tonbsp;do as well as possible.nbsp;By doing this, employees will increase public confidence by representing their sector in a positive way, helping those in trouble.nbsp; If you would like to contact Dilys, you can call her on 01273 873122 or email her at dilys.robinson@employment-studies.co.uk. You can find out more about the work of the IES from their website at www.employment-studies.co.uk RBS Group is regarded as one of the ...
