A powerful case for the value of employee engagement together with the information and tools to help you achieve it.

1. Russell Grossman
Engage for Success
Proudly
supported
by
@iabcvic
#engage4success
@engage4success
@russellgrossman

2. Russell Grossman
DipPR(CAM), ABC, FCIM, FRSA, MCIPR
Director of Communications,
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
russell.grossman@bis.gov.uk
Engagement – Practical Tools For Tough Times
Russell Grossman
ABC, FCIPR , FCIM,FRSA,
Director of Communications, UK Dept for Business
Innovation and Skills (BIS)
Director, Engage For Success
Incoming International Chair, IABC
russell.grossman@bis.gsi.gov.uk###@engage4success

3. Russell Grossman
2008 : Dept for Business, UK Government - Director of Communications
2006 : HM Revenue & Customs - Head of Internal & Change Communications
1999 : BBC - Head of Internal Communications
1997 : Royal Mail - London Director of Communications
1996 : Nichols Associates - Senior Consultant
1994 : Jubilee Line Extension - Public Relations Manager
1993 : Riverbus - Marketing Manager
1988 : London Docklands Development Corp - Head of Information
1986 : London Docklands Development Corp Exec Asst to Development Director
1983 : Greater London Council Press Officer
russell.grossman@bis.gsi.gov.uk

4. Context for why engagement matters

5. Some less
than
engaged
staff….

6. In 2008 the
UK Government
commissioned
David MacLeod
to find out
if there was a link
from engagement
to growth
via productivity
Our story
begins….

7. After…
• 8 months
• 30 consultation events
• 5 regional events
• 60+ case studies
• 255 submissions and reports
• 300 on-line responses to call for evidence
• 50 definitions of engagement
.......MacLeod concluded there was a strong link
The MacLeod Report on Employee Engagement
This report is at http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file52215.pdf

8. Engaged Employees = Top Company
MacLeod found engaged companies gave:
1. better financial performance
2. better outcomes
3. higher levels of innovation
4. more employees advocating their organisation
5. lower rates of absenteeism
6. employee well-being
7. Critical for getting through the recession

9. Does Employee Engagement Matter?
9
•For the individual
– higher levels of wellbeing
– a more satisfying workplace
•For the organisation
– better productivity and financial performance
– higher levels of innovation and advocacy
•For UK plc
– recession, growth, global challenge
– world of work changing: death of deference, greater expectations
– competitive advantage
9

10. Active Disengagement In Action

11. Engage for Success : Provenance
• Taskforce Launched By UK Prime Minister in March 2011
• HRDs and Comms Directors from UK’s top organisations
– To raise the profile of the topic
- To shine a light on good practice
- Members from across the economy
- public, private and third sector,
- manufacturing, retail, finance and services,
- large and small organisations and trade unions

12. 12
“Engage for Success believes that
employee engagement is about
releasing more of the capability and
potential of people at work……and
creating the conditions to unleash the
full potential of people at work.”
‘Engage For Success’

13. Engage for Success : >60 Companies, >2000 Active Practitioners
OVER TWO MILLION WORKERS REPRESENTED

14. Source : Engage For Success, UK
Here’s a short film
EMPLOYEES WANT TO BE ENGAGED

15. http://www.engageforsuccess.org/

16. • www.engageforsuccess.org
“Employee engagement is about how we create the conditions in which employees
offer more of their capability and potential” – David Macleod

17. GURU SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Future of
engagement
Leadership and
engagement
Engaged
thinking
Communicate
for Success
Authentic employee
engagement
Engagement in
SMEs
Linking EE to
other metrics
EE & passenger
transport
CSR and EE EE measurement
and analysis
sub groups and SIG’s
Barriers Investors Cross-cultures Third sector
engagement
Well-being
Innovation Organisational
integrity
Making the internal
business case
Social media and EE
Sub Groups

18. WHO WE ARE
Engage for Success : Evidence
•94 per cent of the world’s most admired companies believe their efforts to engage their
employees have created a competitive advantage (Hay).
•64% of people said they have more to offer in skills and talent than they are currently
demonstrating or being asked to demonstrate at work.
(Populus survey conducted in the UK in October 2012)
•Companies with high and sustainable engagement levels had an average one year
operating margin that was close to three times higher than those with lower engagement
(Towers Watson, 2012)
•85% of the world’s most admired companies believe that efforts to engage employees has
reduced employee performance problems (Hay 2010).
•70 per cent of the more engaged have a good understanding of customer needs as
against only 17 per cent of the disengaged (PwC).
•Our evidence is supported by academic research, and by research houses such as Towers
Watson, Kenexa, Hay, Aon Hewitt and Gallup. It also comes from case studies compiled by
many leading companies and organisations.

19. WHO WE ARE
Engage for Success : Evidence
• Most countries have an employee engagement deficit.
• In the UK, only around a third of workers say they are engaged, placing
the UK ninth in engagement levels among the world’s twelfth largest
economies.
• Australia is one better – eighth - on the same scale
• The loss in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) performance and
productivity this waste represents in the UK : c£26 billion ($AUD48bn) per
year.

20. Source : Kenexa 2012 : THE MANY CONTEXTS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT A 2012/2013KENEXA® WORKTRENDS™
Median margin of error across countries is +/- 3.
Employee Engagement By Country : 2012

21. 1: Strategic Narrative
Strong, visible, empowering leadership provides a strong strategic narrative
about the organisation, where it’s come from and where it’s going.
This gives a line of sight between the job and the organisation’s vision.
The story is communicated clearly, consistently and constantly.
The past You are here The future
Four Key EnablersTHE FOUR KEY ENABLERS : 1. STRATEGIC NARRATIVE

22. 1: Strategic NarrativeFour Key EnablersTHE FOUR KEY ENABLERS : 1. STRATEGIC NARRATIVE

23. 23
1: Strategic NarrativeFour Key Enablers
Line of sight between the job and the organisation’s vision.
The story is communicated clearly, consistently and constantly.
Typical story framework: - the six questions
• Why are we here, what is our role in the world?
• What are our strengths, achievements, challenges?
• What should the future look like?
• Whose needs are we satisfying (customer / client / citizen)?
• How will we get there – what values do we want to apply?
• What is our personality?

24. 24
1: Strategic NarrativeFour Key Enablers
BIS is goingthrough this exerciseat the momentwith “WHY?”consultants
Line of sight between the job and the organisation’s vision.
The story is communicated clearly, consistently and constantly.

26. 2: Having Engaging Managers
They……
focus their people,
offer scope and enable
the job to get done
treat their people as
individuals
coach and stretch their
people
Four Key Enablers 2: Having Engaging ManagersFour Key Enablers

27. 27
2: Having Engaging Managers
Reasons to not:
Four Key Enablers
“Spare me another **** HR/comms initiative”
“Don’t you know there’s a recession on?”
“I’ve not got time for the soft and fluffy stuff”
Plus
Command and control
Micro-managing
Takes time, application, consistency and effort
And beware……
“We did the survey so we’ve done the engagement”

28. Communication in organisations, especially in changing
times, is a
behaviour of leadership and a transfer of energy
Are we helping leaders transfer energy?
Is that energy positive?
How does it feel – for them and for you?
2: Having Engaging ManagersFour Key Enablers
It’s not about spewing lots of corporate messages to staff

29. LEVEL 1 – TRANSACTIONAL
Compartmentalised Thinking
NB:
 CIPD: 75% of Employee Engagement focused as above
 Reactive engagement. About discretionary effort
Territory,Market
Sector Strategy
STRATEGY FOR:
IT; ESTATES; CAPITAL
ETC
EMPLOYEE / HR STRATEGY
 Do survey & act on it, eg
 leadership
 communications,
 ‘feel proud’ etc
Two Levels of engagement
“We act on employee feedback through survey”
2: Having Engaging ManagersFour Key Enablers

30. 30
“ONE PAGE”: Market Sectors, CA,
Country, Positioning Strategy AND
Values/Behaviours to deliver it
WE TRACK
PROGRESS OF
STRATEGY
NB:
 CIPD: 25% of Employee Engagement focused as above
 About proactive engagement
WE MEASURE: Concerns,
commitment, feedback
People give
continual
VOICE
People help
shape
strategy
People at heart of
delivery and at
heart of strategy
TWO-WAY
LEVEL 2 – TRANSFORMATIONAL
“It’s a way of running a top company”
Two Levels
 A belief that people are the
solution, not the problem
2: Having Engaging ManagersFour Key Enablers

31. Transactional or transformational?
TRANSACTIONAL….OR TRANSFORMATIONAL?
Transactional engagement
• A set of activities or targets
• Usually focussed around a survey
Transformational engagement
• Employees integral to developing and delivering the business strategy
• Requires deep belief in the power of people to contribute
• new and creative products/services
• Outstanding customer/client service and efficiency
• A belief that our people are the solution, not the problem

32. This means that to be effective you often have to be…..
• the grit in the oyster…
• without being the pin in the balloon…
• and the jester at the court of King Lear
2: Having Engaging ManagersFour Key Enablers

33. You also need…..
And you need to have….
Judgement, Resilience, Courage, Intuition, Leadership,
Tenacity, Good Grace
And, very often, a sense of humour

34. Are you in and visible?
Or are you invisible?

35. How does the management team feel about communications
before you arrive in their room?
“anyone
can do
this, who
is this
time-
waster?”
“I’m willing
to listen and
be
persuaded”
“the guy
talks
regularly
to me
about this
still so I’ll
go with it”
“all good
ideas, but
actually my
experience
differs”
“Whatever.
Can we get
on with the
P&L risks
discussion
please”
“does she
really get
our
business?”

36. 1. Get yourself in the right places at the right times
2. Lead, don’t follow, don’t just stay where you’re put
3. Actively advocate the communications practice
4. Think creative, be optimistic, push boundaries
5. Don’t struggle alone, work with others
6. Know how to say no nicely – be ‘sympathetically repulsive’
7. Join a professional org : eg IABC!!
8. Strive for the best team you can get, avoid compromises
9. Use LinkedIn effectively
10. Get enough sleep (you cannot delegate this one)
11. Know your value and have the evidence to defend it

37. Always do the reality check

38. try not
to look like this….
….all the time
(or at least when anyone
else is looking)

39. 39
3: Employee Voice
There is employee voice throughout the organisation, for reinforcing and
challenging views; between functions & externally; employees are really seen
as your key asset – not the problem.
This voice is informed. Views sought early / followed up; explanations given if
ideas not adopted. Collective voice matters – TUs etc part of the architecture
Four Key EnablersTHE FOUR KEY ENABLERS : 3. EMPLOYEE VOICE

40. 40
3: Employee Voice
• Employees’ views are sought out; they are listened to and see that their
opinions count and make a difference.
• They speak out and challenge where appropriate
• A strong sense of listening and responsiveness permeates the
organisation, enabled by effective communication.
• This voice is an informed one –not just a ‘tea and toilets conversation
• Views are sought early and followed up; explanations are given if
ideas/views not adopted.
• Trade unions/staff representatives are part of the engagement
architecture – collective voice matters
This voice is informed. Views sought early / followed up; explanations given if
ideas not adopted. Collective voice matters – TUs etc part of the architecture
In practice

41. 41
3: Employee Voice
• if it is heard
• If it is informed
• If it is proactive
• If it is adult to adult
• If it is seen to make a difference
• If it influences the future - change
SURVEYS only scratch the surface of voice. They tell you (depending on the
questions) WHAT people may be thinking. THEY DON’T TELL YOU WHY
Voice is only effective:
BUT
NB!!!

42. Credibility
“Management keeps me informed about important issues and changes”.
“I believe management would lay people off only as a last resort”.
Respect
“I am offered training or development to further myself professionally”.
“Management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort”.
Fairness
”Everyone has an opportunity to get special recognition”.
“Promotions go to those who best deserve them”.
Pride
“I’m proud to tell others I work here”.
“People look forward to coming to work here”.
Camaraderie
”People care about each other here”.
“This is a friendly place to work”.
…for a productive workforce
Five dimensions to target......

43. 4: Organisational Integrity
This gives a line of sight between the job and the organisation’s vision
The story is communicated clearly, consistently and constantly
Four Key Enablers
There is organisational integrity – the values on the wall are
reflected in day to day behaviours.
These expected behaviours are explicit
and bought into by staff.
Keep it real – staff see through corporate
spin quicker than customers or the public.
Integrity enables trust: no engagement
without trust
THE FOUR KEY ENABLERS : 4. ORGANISATIONAL INTEGRITY

44. 3: Employee Voice
Questions?
Four Key Enablers
russell.grossman@bis.gsi.gov.uk