How can a business prosper without engaged employees?

By Kevin Young, general manager, Skillsoft EMEA

With competition for business high, CEOs know they need to remain focused on growth, set realistic budgets, understand what their customers really want and keep one step ahead of their competitors. Many will have those bases already covered, but if the people charged with carrying out day-to-day activities are not properly engaged, the business will fail to prosper.

In fact, if workforces were more engaged, the UK economy could benefit to the tune of £26billion, according to a recent Engage for Success task force, which features representatives from the likes of the Department for Business, Lloyds Banking Group and Water Aid.  The high-level task force states that “20 million workers are failing to operate at full capacity because their employers are not actively engaging with them.”

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.  It is vital for businesses to ensure this rot does not set in. The good news is that targeted learning and development programmes have been proven to boost staff retention, productivity and job satisfaction - all characteristics of an engaged employee.

As the Engage for Success task force report outlines, having engaged workers is the key to pushing British business to the next level. Companies actively promoting a supportive culture through targeted learning and development will reap the benefits for years to come.