Serco joins high level task force call for better employee engagement

Serco has joined a high level task force, of some of the UK's most recognisable organisations, in calling for improved levels of employee engagement to improve both employee wellbeing and levels of productivity in the UK.

The call came from leaders from private, public and third sector organisations meeting, at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in London, to launch evidence about the effectiveness of employee engagement, presented by the nationwide 'Engage for Success' taskforce.An analysis of the evidence launched today shows that only around a third of UK employees say they are actively engaged at work representing some 20 million workers not delivering to their full potential and resulting in the UK missing out on some £26bn in GDP each year.

'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.

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.

Geoff Lloyd, Serco's Group HR Director, who has been an active member of the 'Engage for Success' taskforce, said: "Today's report provides us with irrefutable evidence, of what we all have always intuitively known, that engaged and motivated people are fundamental to an organisation's success. At Serco we have many examples of good employee engagement around our business globally and have identified a direct link between strong engagement levels and the levels of customer loyalty and advocacy. What this report shows, and what we are committed to, is building on areas of success to ensure that all our people are fully and actively contributing to the success of the organisation."

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 UK plc - 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".

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