Political Monitor
An excert from APSCO Monitor for week commencing 22/3/10
What's being said in Westminster
BIS: "effective employee engagement is central to business success"
Business leaders this week highlighted how an engaged workforce means increased productivity, innovation and competitiveness - as the Government launched new guidance to help bosses engage their employees.
Leaders from the public and private sectors have contributed to the package of advice developed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to help employers put the principles of employee engagement into practice - and improve business performance as a result.
They include Richard Lambert, Director General, CBI, who states "One of the things that has become really clear in this past recession is that employee engagement and trust between employer and employee has made it easier for people to come through the tough times in better shape".
The new guidance is designed to help employers reap the benefits of effective engagement. These include greater productivity, higher levels of innovation and lower rates of sickness and absence. The guidance has been developed with input from a range of business leaders, employers and employee engagement practitioners and follows the publication of the independent report to Government last year , 'Engaging for Success', co-authored by David MacLeod and Nita Clarke.
The package of material on www.businesslink.gov.uk/employeeengagement contains:
- Five guides, containing practical ideas on how to address the key enablers of employee engagement, as identified in 'Engaging for Success';
- Written and video case studies on exemplars of good practice on each of these areas;
- Downloadable tools and templates that employers can use to put principles into practice;
- Video testimonies from business leaders on the benefits of employee engagement.
New tool will help businesses understand equality rules
Equalities Minister Vera Baird this week announced plans for a new benchmarking and improvement tool to help businesses better understand equality legislation and set them on a path towards best practice.
The National Equality Framework for Business will allow companies to carry out a "self-assessment" test to measure how well they are doing in tackling inequality at work.
As well as allowing businesses to see whether they meet minimum standards, the framework, which will be accessible online, will help employers see what else they could do to make their workplace more diverse and attract the widest possible range of customers.
Vera Baird states:
"Many small businesses are already tackling inequality in the workplace without even realising it - for example by offering flexible hours to people with childcare commitments. The Framework will give credit where it is due and help businesses identify other ways in which they can help themselves and release the benefits which are available to them.
"It is the first time anything like this has been attempted across Britain, and I look forward to seeing the improvements it leads to for businesses."
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is working with business organisations including British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and manufacturers' organisation the EEF to ensure the National Equality Framework for Business is a practical tool that really meets the needs of employers.
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