Employee Engagement Review

Lorely Burt
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assistance his Department is providing to encourage implementation of the recommendations of the MacLeod review of employee engagement by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and whether his Department plans to provide funding for SMEs for such purposes after March 2010;

(2) whether his Department plans to provide funding for the implementation of the recommendations of the MacLeod review of employee engagement from the end of March 2010.

Mr. McFadden
The Department is currently implementing the recommendations from the MacLeod Review report ‘Engaging for Success’. The Government have committed to implementation by March 2010.

Our objectives in implementing the MacLeod recommendations are to make the business case for engagement; to provide practical support for businesses who wish to go down the engagement route; and to make that help as widely accessible as possible.

To that end, a campaign to raise awareness among businesses—in particular SMEs—of the benefits of adopting employee engagement practices was launched in the autumn—featuring regional and national media and events, and focused around a dedicated campaign website:

www.businesslink.gov.uk/employeengagement

At the same time, we have been developing a range of “quick start” guides on engagement for businesses. Focused on the key themes from the MacLeod Report—Leadership; Engaging Managers; Employee Voice; and Organisational Integrity—these will be launched on the BusinessLink.gov website in March. We are working with other mainstream providers of advice and support to businesses—both inside and outside Government—to ensure that these guides reach as wide an audience as possible; and to guarantee that practical support and guidance on employee engagement remains readily available to employers in the future. More generally, the Department's support for SMEs will continue longer term through the guidance and tools on the Business Link.gov website, the Solutions for Business portfolio of business support products and its National Skills strategy.