LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At a time of unprecedented economic and financial uncertainty, a high-level task force of some of the UK’s most recognisable organisations is today calling for every leader and manager across the economy to play their part in tackling the UK’s employee engagement deficit, which is estimated to result in the UK missing out on some £26bn1 in GDP each year.
Leaders from private, public and third sector organisations came together at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in London to launch the latest evidence about the effectiveness of employee engagement, presented by the nationwide ‘Engage for Success’ task force.
An analysis of the evidence launched today shows that:
- Only around a third of UK employees say they are actively engaged at work, placing the UK ninth in engagement levels among the world’s twelve largest economies (Kenexa, 20092).
- This represents some 20 million workers who are not delivering their full capability or realising their potential at work
- In a Populus survey (2012), 64% of people said they have more to offer in skills and talent than they are currently demonstrating or being asked to demonstrate at work3
- ONS data reveals that on an output per worker basis, UK productivity was 20 percentage points lower than the rest of the G7 in 20114
- Even in turbulent economic times, organisations with high engagement levels outperformed the total stock market index and posted total shareholder returns that were higher than average in 20105.
‘Engage for Success’ is an independent, voluntary group of leaders, managers, trade unionists, engagement practitioners and experts who are backing the importance of employee engagement. The group was first launched by the Prime Minister in March 2011 and today’s evidence launch is a key milestone for them.
Commenting on today’s launch the Prime
Minister David Cameron said:
"Engage for
Success is a movement that I helped launch last year to get UK workers
more involved in the decision making of their companies and feel more
passionate about their work.
"This meeting of leading companies and the publication of new evidence is an important step in achieving this and helping Britain to compete in the global race. With only a third of UK workers saying they feel engaged I encourage all companies to get involved in this important initiative."
Also launched today is a national website (www.engageforsuccess.org) which is full of case studies, tools and techniques on how to better engage employees. The website is a free to use national resource which will help leaders and managers take practical action to engage their people.
David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, Co-Chairs of the Task Force said:
“As
the UK faces up to the challenges of recession and global competition,
improving productivity and performance among the UK workforce has to be
a national priority and central to our country’s growth agenda.
“Leaders at today’s launch understand the importance of employee engagement to the success of their organisations, now and in the future. Engagement is also vital for individual employees’ wellbeing. With such clear evidence about why engagement matters – for individuals, for organisations and for UKplc - there is a huge opportunity to be tapped.
That is why our voluntary movement is launching a free for use website to help every organisation – big and small – engage with their employees better”.
Note to editors
Images from today’s evidence launch will be available from 13:00.
About Engage for Success:
Engage for Success is a movement committed to the idea that there is a better way to work; a better way to enable personal growth, organisational growth and ultimately growth for Britain by releasing more of the capability and potential of people at work. It is a voluntary movement of leaders, managers, engagement practitioners and experts who have come together to take the message about the importance of employee engagement out across the UK economy.
The Engage for Success movement builds upon the publication of ‘Engaging for Success’, a report to Government in 2009. In 2010, the Coalition Government asked the authors, David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, to further spread the ideas in their report by ensuring a wider national awareness of and results from the importance of engagement.
A series of ‘Engage for Success’ events across the UK follow in the coming weeks and months, helping practitioners to share knowledge and to continue encouraging good practice on employee engagement. These start with a major event on November 26th at the QEII Conference Centre in London to mobilise support.
The CEOs due to attend today’s event are listed below. Please check the Engage for Success website (www.engageforsuccess.org) for the most up-to-date list.
1. Marc Bolland – Chief Executive, M&S
2. Andy Harrison – Chief Executive, Whitbread
3. Barbara Frost – Chief Executive, Water Aid
4. Eric Collins – MD, Nampak
5. Ian King – CEO, BAE Systems
6. Richard Baker – Chairman - Virgin Active, Nectar, DFS
7. Ronan Dunne – Chief Executive, O2
8. Steve Mogford – Chief Executive, United Utilities
9. Mark Elborne – Chief Executive for North Europe, GE
10. Martin Donnelly – Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
11. Amyas Morse – Auditor General, National Audit Office
12. Justin King – CEO, Sainsbury’s
13. Rob Devey – CEO, UK & Europe, Prudential
14. Rona Fairhead – CEO, Financial Times Group
15. Ian Powell – Chairman & Senior Partner, PwC
16. Carolyn Downs – Chief Executive, Local Government Association
17. Sir Win Bischoff – Chairman, Lloyds Banking Group
18. Neil Bentley – Deputy Director General, CBI
19. David Evans – Chairman and CEO, Grass Roots Group
20. Nick Creswell – Vice President, Talent and Development - Technology Thomson Reuters
21. Peter Cheese – Chief Executive, CIPD
22. Bernadette Malone - Chief Executive of Perth and Kinross Council
For further statistical information:
Kenexa (NYSE: KNXA) helps drive HR and business outcomes through its unique combination of technology, content and services. In 2012 the Kenexa High Performance Institute (KHPI) carried out a global study on employee engagement, speaking to more than 33,000 full time workers in 28 countries around the world, including more than 1,000 workers in the UK (download the KHPI report here: http://www.khpi.com/Current-R-D/WorkTrends/Context-EE). Key evidence in the 'Nailing the Evidence Report' was taken from the Kenexa's research and analysis of employee engagement. White papers mentioned in the MacLeod report can be found on the KHPI website (http://www.khpi.com/R-D-Library/White-Papers). If you would like to speak to Vernon Bryce, from the Kenexa High Performance Institute please contact judith@communicationsmanagement.co.uk.
Additional information about Kenexa and its global products and services can be accessed at www.kenexa.com. Follow Kenexa on Twitter: @kenexa
1 Figure from Kenexa (2012)
2 As published in Wiley, J, W., Herman, A., Kowske, B. (2012) ‘Developing and Validating a Global Model of Employee Engagement,’ in Handbook of Employee Engagement: Perspectives, Issues, Research and Practice, ed. S.L. Albrecht, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited
3 Populus survey of 2,049 GB adults, online, between the 26th and 28th October 2012, of whom 1,111 were employed either full or part time.
4 Office for National Statistics, ‘International Comparisons of Productivity, First Estimates for 2011’ (2012)
5 Aon Hewitt (2010)