Tuesday 13th July 2010, Guoman Charing Cross Hotel - London, 09:00 - 16:00

Employee Engagement: Creating a Connected, Effective and Productive Workforce

Overview

Organisations across the private and the public sector at some time all face the need to change, improving the way services are delivered and products produced. The MacLeod Review of employee engagement (July 2009) recommended a combination of government support and more cooperation, to make sure that the relationship between employees and employers is at the centre of successful plans to move an organisation forward. Engagement is increasingly recognised as vital by senior figures in the public sector, the private sector and trades unions.

The review’s recommendations were accepted by the former Government, who committed to raising awareness and understanding across the sectors with regards to the importance of employee engagement. Most importantly, the agenda can be moved forward through culture change, rather than investing significant financial resources.

Recent research has found almost half (47%) of today’s public sector business leaders do not understand how to engage with their employees. The study – launched by HR, Payroll and Talent Management Solutions provider MidlandHR – revealed that while public sector organisations conclusively agree that employee engagement affects employee performance, only half (53%) understand the level of engagement of their own employees, while nearly two fifths (38%) admit to not understanding how to engage with their employees.

A key factor in any successful change programme is a continued commitment to engaging and involving the workforce. A workforce that ‘buys into’ the need for change and is involved in the full process is much more likely to be committed to any changes decided by the organisation as a whole. Increased collaborative working by every level of management, employees and trade unions, will mean organisations can grow by utilising the knowledge and experience of their staff. This will develop long-term solutions for current and future service user needs. It will also augment problem solving, helping departments learn and help create a wider understanding of how service improvements can be implemented.

In October 2009, the Civil Service People Survey was launched, it replaced the existing employee opinion surveys and formed part of the country wide Employee Engagement Programme; an initiative to embed staff across the Civil Service. The survey is designed to drive for more efficiency and effective frontline services, and by departments sharing the same system, it is hoped that the Civil Service will save around 35% in administration costs.

The results, released on the 1st February, showed that some departments need to focus on engagement, leadership and change management. The Employee Engagement Programme reinforces the commitment of the Civil Service to realise the benefits of engaging employees.

Agenda

With the Chancellor outlining the first series of departmental savings, efficiency will become a key concern across the public sector. This forum provides an excellent opportunity to discuss how employee engagement can help organisations to harness and maximise their workforce; and how public sector organisations can engage with their employees to drive them to reach their potential.

09:00	Registration and Coffee
09:30	Chair’s Welcome Address Professor Katie Truss, Director for Research in Employment, Skills and Society and the Kingston Employee Engagement Consortium (CONFIRMED)
09:40	Improving Engagement, Improving Performance What is employee engagement? Importance of employee engagement Driving efficiency and effectiveness through engaging the workforce The recommendations David MacLeod, Author, Macleod Review (CONFIRMED)
10:00	The Cabinet Office’s Employee Engagement Programme Employee Engagement Programme Objectives The Civil Service People Survey Allow benchmarking levels on employee engagement both across and within departments and agencies Provide a focus on what drives civil servants to achieve their full potential and empower leaders to deliver change accordingly Results and Recommendations – Embedding employee engagement Liz McKeown, Deputy Director, Analysis and Insight, Cabinet Office (CONFIRMED)
10:20	Questions and Answers Session
10:40	Coffee and Networking
11:05	Gaining Buy- In and Communicating Intent Persuading people engagement works Thank Goodness it's Monday Ways to involve staff through the cuts The role of values and brand Tackling barriers and keeping your sanity Fiona Narburgh, Head of Strategy and Communications, Wychavon District Council (CONFIRMED)
11:35	Total Rewards: Improving Employee Commitment and Engagement Need for creativity Empowering the employee The benefits Feedback and communication Alignment of HR and business strategies with employee needs, to improve performance Components of Total Reward Total Reward Models – What works for you? Paula McDonald, Deputy Director, Efficiency and Reform Group, Cabinet Office (CONFIRMED)
11.55	The BEST Way to Engagement Belief Excellence Success Trust – Birmingham City Council’s employee engagement programme The importance of engaging and recognising your staff Engaging front line staff – harnessing innovation and creativity Birmingham BEST, the small differences that make all the difference Learning points from the Birmingham engagement journey Raffaela Goodby, Employee Engagement Manager, Birmingham City Council (CONFIRMED)
12:15	Examining the Key Challenges in the Drive for Change How can you create an integrated change programme with the buy-in of all stakeholders? - Planning Developing an effective toolkit to manage the change process and overcome common challenges: Connecting with Hard to Reach groups, engaging Trade Unions and establishing a common Framework for change - Practical challenges and implementation issues Successfully communicating with staff during the transition to facilitate staff involvement - A key practical challenge Using the change process as a lever for service improvement - What is it meant to do? Delivering and Improving Service – Employee involvement in change, enabling organisations to deliver change quicker, more effectively and with the active support of their workers Paul Nowak, Head, Organisation and Services, TUC (CONFIRMED)
12:35	Questions and Answers Session
13:00	Lunch and Networking
14:00	Engaging Your Workforce Delivering high quality and efficient public services A flexible and responsive public servant A better informed and up-skilled employee Effective management of change situations, engaging others, information analysis and researching new ways forward Jonathan Baume, General Secretary, FDA (CONFIRMED)
14:20	Psychological Well-being: The Platform For Sustained Engagement Why does well-being matter? The importance of psychological well-being Well-being and engagement Improving well-being Professor Ivan Robertson, Managing Director, Robertson Cooper Ltd & Leeds University Business School (CONFIRMED)
14:40	Coffee and Networking
15:00	Boosting Workplace Morale and the Bottom Line: The Role of a Front Line Manager Managing People, budgets, work rotas, quality and operational performance and customer care; the growing role of Front Line Managers Why the role of FLMs is changing – Tackles welfare, disciplinary and attendance issues and provides a link between senior management and the front line Why is the role of FLMs Important? – Brings Policies to life and connects with individual employees and their representatives Developing Front Line leadership – Recruitment, Selection and Training Supporting FLMs – The role of Acas Jane Bird, Director, Good Practice Services, Acas (CONFIRMED)
15:20	Total Rewards – How Kent County Council are Keeping Employees Engaged and Motivated What are Total Reward Statements and how do they deliver improved employee engagement? How to achieve better understanding of all the elements of reward and valuation by staff in an interactive way Distinguishing between the cost and value of the employment package in a way which works for employees and the employer Colin Miller, Reward Manager, Kent County Council (CONFIRMED)
15:40	Embedding Front Line Evidence and Experience into the Policy Making Process The Sunningdale Institute’s report – Findings and recommendations Engagement and Aspiration – ‘Reconnecting policy making with front line professionals:' Development of a core curriculum for policy makers Cross departmental working to demonstrate wide- Ranging ways of embedding the reports principles Developing systems and communities to enable sharing of ideas and good practice Excellence and Fairness - Increasing emphasis on customer insight The role of the Innovators Council The Building Capability Programme The Civil Service Steering group – Enhancing performance of the Civil Service Lord Victor Adebowale, Chief Executive, Turning Point and Co Author of Engagement and Aspiration, Sunningdale Institute (CONFIRMED)
16:00	Questions and Answers Session
16:15	Chair's Summary and Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Exhibitor

Robertson Cooper

Audience

Delegates will include heads and directors of health divisions, human resource heads and directors, health and safety teams, absence managers, welfare and well-being teams, risk managers, heads of training, heads of operations, occupational health managers, contact centre managers and be drawn from public central government departments and agencies, local authorities, criminal justice, health and education sectors, insurance companies, legal practices and advocacy organisations, businesses and employers, academia and the third sector.

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