Towers Watson joins government’s Employee Engagement Task Force

Towers Watson has joined forces with think tank, Tomorrow’s Company, and employment relations specialists, the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA), to help deliver the government’s Employee Engagement Task Force agenda.

Prime minister David Cameron announced the task force in March 2011, with the aim of providing a range of practical opportunities for employers wanting to learn about engagement. It aims to build upon the report, Engaging for success, which David MacLeod and Nita Clarke produced in 2009 for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Tower Watson has been tasked with assisting with the Rethinking Voice project, which aims to stimulate debate and develop new ideas about how UK organisations can improve employee engagement and increase productivity by listening to and acting on the views of their employees.

The project is based on the idea that the employee voice within organisations is a critical part of delivering long-term sustainable value for business. It will assess the elements, which make up the effective employee voice and what structures are in place to encourage employees to communicate ideas and suggestions. These elements include how their voice is heard and by whom, what impact this has on organisational strategy, and how it can affect employee motivation and willingness to produce extra effort for the organisation.

Towers Watson will provide data and analysis from its database of workforce studies, as well as insight on employee engagement from its HR consultancy practice.

Nick Tatchell, UK director of organisational surveys and insight at Towers Watson, said: “The economic environment over the last few years has shown just how important it is for organisations to develop an engaged and motivated workforce.†

“Our research shows organisations that encourage and value employee voice and approach internal communications in an open and transparent way are more likely to be financially successful because of their engaged workforce.”

Read more about employee engagement and motivation