Engage employees for long-term business success by Kevin Young, MD, Skillsoft EMEA on 26-Nov-2012

A  recent report from the Engage for Success task force has revealed that the UK can deliver £26 billion GDP growth by better engaging employees at work. The high-level task force, which features representatives from the likes of Water Aid, Lloyds Banking Group and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, states that 20 million workers are not operating at full capacity, because employers are not actively engaging them.

This research confirms what we at Skillsoft have known for a long time – the key to long-term business success is to engage employees and make them feel a valued and vital asset. It is positive to hear the call for leaders and managers to play their part in tackling the UK’s employee engagement deficit, as it is an area that needs to be addressed immediately.

If staff feel undervalued and are not given the opportunity to develop their skills, they will become unmotivated and disinterested in the business, with performance levels and productivity suffering as a result.

A business would not survive without driven individuals, so it is vital that organisations get the most out of their staff and give them an opportunity to hone their skills and progress up the career ladder. This investment in staff training and development will also foster company loyalty and a willingness to help the business succeed and grow.

Indeed, employees are often considered an organisation’s best asset, yet many companies fail to recognise the importance of employee engagement and well-being. In this unstable financial climate, where every penny is being counted, an employee who is satisfied with their job and excels with their workload is invaluable.

Targeted learning and development programmes have been proven to help staff retention, productivity and job satisfaction - all characteristics of a high performing, well-balanced employee. An employer should recognise the value of providing relevant training to its employees, as well as ensure they have the appropriate tools and information to fulfil their daily tasks. However, if this training is pushed aside, then employee positivity and overall staff productivity will begin to suffer, which can have detrimental effects for the business.

Today, an organisation’s success relies heavily on engaged employees. It will be those companies that are actively promoting a supportive culture through targeted learning and development that will reap the benefits for years to come.

It is encouraging to find from our own research, involving 500 CEOs across a range of industry sectors, that business leaders increasingly believe in the value of learning. A massive 93% plan to either maintain or increase training budgets over the next 12 months.

This is great news for the economy and demonstrates that even when budgets are tight, training and motivating employees still comes high up the agenda and is recognised as a key factor in the long-term prosperity of the business.

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