Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Employee relationsEmployee engagementEmployee communicationsHR strategy

Hutton insists keeping employees engaged will boost bottom line

by Louisa Peacock 9 Jan 2009
by Louisa Peacock 9 Jan 2009

John Hutton has insisted his review to help companies improve employee engagement will help to increase profits.

Last month, as business secretary, he announced a government-funded review of employee engagement to work out how to improve workplace productivity. It will be led by David MacLeod, a non-executive director at the Ministry of Justice, and Nita Clark, director of the Involvement and Participation Association. They are expected to report in spring 2009.

Hutton said the government had “missed the plot” by focusing on introducing or amending employment law for too long, and it was time to look at how to improve the quality of work.

But, he told Employers’ Law, the review was tightly linked to increasing company turnover.

“We need to make sure companies understand that engagement is not just a nice thing to have, but it really does influence the bottom line,” he said.

Clark added there was a danger the review would be seen as “fluffy” but promised to focus on tangible ideas for improving employee commitment.

Employers present when Hutton announced the review asked whether tax incentives would be used to encourage them to offer engagement initiatives, such as volunteering days or CSR activities.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

But Jessica Prendergrast, senior research fellow at think-tank the Social Market Foundation, said the review must make it clear engagement is not just an add-on. “We need to make sure this is about the bottom line. This is about serious money.”

MacLeod said: “The fact that only about 12% of the UK workforce can be considered as highly engaged shows that there is potential for huge gains for the economy if we can improve in this area.”

Louisa Peacock

previous post
1,200 jobs to go at Nissan’s Sunderland plant
next post
Government moves closer to requiring firms to publish gender pay gaps

You may also like

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

‘Polygamous working’ is a minefield for HR

14 May 2025

University of Salford launches Better Working Lives cluster

14 May 2025

Why HR burnout is a strategic issue

12 May 2025

Why fighting the DEI backlash is about PR...

9 May 2025

Preparing for a new era of workforce planning...

8 May 2025

Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar)

8 May 2025

Ofgem workers ballot for strike action

2 May 2025

Employment Rights Bill must be tightened to protect...

1 May 2025

Succession planning now ‘more of a priority than...

24 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+