Employee engagement
It is no surprise that gaining workforce engagement remains a hot topic for many organisations. It has proven links to productivity, retention, and customer satisfaction and loyalty. Engaged employees can give an organisation competitive advantage as they 'go the extra mile' – crucial as the economic situation looks more and more uncertain.

One of the continuing challenges around engagement has been definition – there have been as many views as managers and specialists. However, recent work has provided a better understanding of what engagement is and, just as importantly, what it is not, providing a framework to measure and manage engagement.

Crucially engagement can only be identified by observing behaviours; different tools are needed from the traditional methods of measuring staff satisfaction. Behaviours to look out for include:

Of course, engagement does not happen by itself (although it is true that some people are more likely to be engaged than others). Engagement is a product of how people think and feel, and this depends on the quality of relationships with both the organisation and, significantly, the team. The implication is that an organisation can create a culture that is likely to foster engagement (for instance by ensuring fairness and providing adequate resources), but key is the role of the line manager who must create the appropriate dynamic.