4 Do you know how engaged your people are right now? 87
5 So what are your employees telling you? 115
6 Getting beyond analysis and into action 133
7 Roadblocks to creating an engaged workforce 155
8 Building a culture of engagement 177
9 Engaging managers 205
10 Engagement in tough times 231
11 Finding meaning, growth and engagement 265
Annex 1: Comparison of the employee engagement model and other views of engagement drivers 303
Annex 2: Engagement model and action areas 307
Bibliography 309
Index 321
A non-biased, grounded, and practical approach to employee engagement
For managers and business leaders who want to enhance performance, this easy-to-use guide to employee management offers real solutions for getting workers engaged and increasing productivity. It explains what employee engagement is, why it matters, what the benefits of it are, what helps and hinders it, how to measure it, how to put theory into action when trying to create it. As an added benefit, it offers plenty of advice on how managers can keep themselves engaged, even during the toughest of times.
Linda Holbeche PhD is a leading teacher and writer on HR topics. She was ranked number three in Human Resources magazine's most influential 2009 roll call of top industry thinkers. Until recently, she was the Director of Research and Policy at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
She is also a Visiting Professor of Leadership Innovation at the University of Bedfordshire, a Visiting Professor in HRM and Organisation Development at Cass Business School (London), an Adjunct Professor (Executive Education) at Imperial College, London and a Visiting Fellow of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. In addition to this she is an Associate of Erasmus Business School (Rotterdam), Edinburgh Napier University and Ashridge Management College. Linda is a Chartered Fellow of CIPD and a Fellow of both the RSA and the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).
Geoffrey Matthews is an experienced HR executive with an extensive background in employee engagement, organizational development, rewards, and international HR. He is currently Vice President HR Strategy for Merck KGaA, a leading DAX 30 European chemical and pharmaceutical company. Prior to this, Geoff held senior HR positions in a number of major companies including Roche and Hewlett-Packard. He is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Management Institute as well as being a member of the CIPD, SHRM and World at Work.
"The current economic crisis has underlined how traditional means of managing people are no longer effective. Too many businesses underperform because they can no longer count on the commitment of their workforce. Only by treating employees as key stakeholders and engaging them will organizations be successful. This timely book provides a practical roadmap for companies to create an engaged workforce and is essential reading for all business leaders."
--Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum
"This is an important contribution to leaders and managers across all types of organizations. I believe readers of this book will be more confident and better equipped to address the issues their organizations are facing."
--David MacLeod, Chairman of the UK Government-sponsored Employee Engagement Task Force and co-author of the influential report to the UK Government 'Engaging for Success'
"This book highlights in a very understandable and comprehensive way, one of the most important HR concepts of our age, 'engagement'. During difficult times, we need more than ever to engage our workforce, to get them involved and committed. This book shows how to do it, and is a 'must read' for all line managers and HR professionals."
Cary L. Cooper, CBE, Distinguished Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School, UK
"A must read, timely and practical primer on how to engage any workforce - warts and all."
--Will Hutton, author of Them and Us: Changing Britain - Why We Need a Fair Society, Principal at Hertford College, Oxford, UK, Weekly Columnist at The Guardian and The Observer Newspapers
"An engaging book about engagement! Linda and Geoff have produced an authoritative book that makes the business case, the emotional case and developed an easy to understand model that will allow HR practitioners and line managers to accelerate implementation. Recognizing there is no 'one size fits all' approach, the book is full of practical case studies that will inspire and enthuse."
--Dean Royles, Director, NHS Employers
"The topic of employee engagement has caught the imagination of researchers and practitioners. But for many it is not clear what exactly it is, how you measure it and more importantly if, when and why it is related to productivity. In this well researched, easy to read, and eminently practical book Linda Holbeche and Geoff Matthews answer all the central questions about engagement. The book is topical, very up-to-date and highly practical."
--Adrian Furnham, Professor of Psychology, University College London, writer on leadership and management topics and regular columnist for the Sunday Times
"This book is a major contribution to helping managers take action to improve employee engagement in their business context. It's packed with ideas and advice for managers who want to foster commitment and energize their organizations. The authors' ideas around creating a new employment relationship built on engagement will have wide currency in the years ahead, and are as necessary as they are revolutionary for all business executives."
--Mike Cullen, Ernst and Young Global Managing Partner - People
