Striving for sustainable engagement

1 March 2012

Sustainable engagement – that combination of high engagement supported by wellbeing – is the new Mecca. And with engagement in the UK edging up only slightly over the last year, and satisfaction with workload and work/life balance decreasing, we still have a long way to go. Here are our top tips for moving towards sustainable engagement.

Understand where the issues lie

Gathering a robust insight into the needs of different employees is key to creating a truly effective healthy workplace programme. If there is an employee survey in place, then incorporate both engagement and wellbeing into your existing survey. External benchmarks will give you some perspective and targets to aspire to; and statistical analysis can help you identify blockers to both wellbeing and engagement.

Create an ongoing dialogue

The survey is often an annual activity, but there is a need for regular dialogue to ensure best alignment between the employment deal and employees’ needs. Often employees are unaware of the complete range of benefits they can access, and initiatives that can assist wellbeing. And employees are best placed to suggest new ways of improving wellbeing.

Foster close working relationships

Creating a culture of support and encouragement on the ground is vital, both between colleagues and between employees and managers. Line managers have a crucial role in engaging their employees and in reinforcing the importance of wellbeing at work.

Ensure there are support structures

It is important to have mechanisms in place that support employees’ health and wellbeing. Counselling services, access to support and private healthcare are the most commonly provided services. Systems promoting a healthy work/life balance, as well as wellbeing, reinforce the message that organisations care about wellbeing at work. Simple changes, such as flexible start and leave times or banning conferences on Mondays and Fridays so that employees do not have to travel at the weekend, can have a big impact.

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Today's competitive advantage: sustainable engagement