This is a landmark week in the United Kingdom for employee engagement. The Engage for Success initiative has launched – the result of three years of intensive research, collaboration and networking on employee engagement across the UK.

HRZone.co.uk offered this detailed synopsis of the beliefs, aims and outcomes of Engage for Success, including:

Its aim is to:

• Raise awareness of the employee engagement issue;
• Equip people to develop and deploy employee engagement approaches;
• Provide evidence, practical ideas and tools for action;
• Provide access to and support from like-minded communities.

As well as the Taskforce, a guru group of academics, researchers and consultants who are providing their services on a pro bono basis has been set up to feed in their ideas and insights.

Project groups comprising volunteers have also been formed to work on certain aspects of engagement such as innovation, well-being and corporate social responsibility, while a practitioner group will share, create and support each other in undertaking best practice when implementing engagement initiatives.

A sponsor group, which includes Marc Bolland, the chief executive of Marks & Spencer, Will Hutton, the executive vice chair of the Work Foundation, and Karen Boswell, the managing director of East Coast Rail, has likewise been set up to help fund activities, while political sponsorship is being sought too.

“Finally, a website has been created to act as a single point of access for any relevant tools, technology, ideas and case studies.”

The need for engagement is universal

The detailed website is available here and includes terrific videos, papers, networking and symposium opportunities and much more.

Don’t let the UK focus keep you from using these valuable resources. Whether you’re based in the UK, the U.S., India or China (or anywhere else in the world), these resources are for you. The need for engagement is universal, transcending geography, culture and organizational rank. We all want to work in an environment that engages us to give more and give better.

This video on the site homepage says it all.

Did you hear this powerful statement?

Give your employees a voice. Listen to what they say. Let us know why we’re here. I am not a human resource. I’m a human being… Engagement isn’t something extra. It’s what you do, and how you do it.”

Your employees may not use phrases like: “I need you to engage me better. I think a powerful employee engagement initiative could change our culture for the better.” But they are looking to be engaged. Give them something to engage in.

What resources do you use to help you create an engaging culture and environment for employees?

You can find more from Derek Irvine on his Recognize This! blog.