Focus on what matters - and a free offer

Our team at Workplace Innovation Europe is often asked for advice on how to follow up employee engagement surveys when the results are less than ideal.?The instinctive response (which we almost always suppress) is “I wouldn’t start from here if I were you”. That’s because traditional engagement surveys aren’t really designed to identify actionable responses. They can tell you that something is wrong, but they make you do the heavy lifting to get down to the root causes of employee disengagement.

Years ago, I was part of a European Commission policy advisory group focused on the creation of better workplaces. To cut a very long story short, I was asked to lead an international study on how some companies were achieving high performance by creating jobs that lead to positive outcomes for employees in terms of wellbeing, health and satisfaction. By analysing a lot of published research as well as what was happening in a hundred or so organisations, we identified very specific bundles of workplace practices that were enabling companies to achieve better outcomes both for the business and its people. And the findings applied equally to service, manufacturing or public sector organisations.?

We’re talking about how people’s jobs are defined, how they work together in teams, and the technologies they use. Are they able to bring their ideas to work and make an active contribution to improvement and innovation? Do they work in silos or in a flexible organisational structure? And do leaders recognise the importance of employee voice and empowering others? Bringing all these practices together creates remarkable workplace cultures based on trust and a shared commitment to common goals. We call this “Workplace Innovation”, and it’s taking off from Europe to South Korea.

Let’s focus on what matters.

If you’re looking for what works, the evidence is clearly there.

I don’t like writing reports that just sit on shelves and don’t change anything. We took the findings from this study and translated them into a practical approach to achieving high performance and jobs which enable people to use and develop their full range of knowledge, skill and creativity at work. Over the years we’ve tested and refined it with many companies and other organisations. And we’ve made it easy to analyse what is working in your organisation and the precise areas of practice that need to be changed.

The Workplace Innovation Diagnostic? is a unique survey instrument that asks your employees to identify the extent to which they experience these evidence-based practices in their jobs, and the results provide you with a clear roadmap to identify the ways in which you can engage and harness the potential of your workforce more fully. It’s made a real difference to many companies, and I really want to share it more widely.

So we’re offering it for free to selected companies this summer.

We normally charge from ￡4000 upwards for a full-service Workplace Innovation Diagnostic? package, but if you’re willing to commit to real change we’re offering it to you for free – no obligation, no hard sell and no risk.

Why? Well, my team and I share a real passion for workplace innovation and want to see it happen everywhere, because we know it brings real benefits to businesses and their employees alike.

And we also think that once you’ve seen the results, you’ll want to continue to work with us as our next client. But there’s no marketing pitch or hard sell, and if you decide to go your own way once you have the results, we only ask that you keep in touch and let us know how you’re getting on.

But this offer is not for everyone. You must be:

• Part of an organisation employing more than 25 people, whether in manufacturing, services or the public/non-profit sectors.
• In a position to drive change forward. You must have – or be able to create - a mandate to address difficult issues in your organisation.
• Willing to learn, not just from us but from other organisations and leaders making similar journeys.
• Able to recognise that there is no blueprint and are willing to experiment, fail, learn from failure, and move on.
• Open to the force of the better argument no matter who it comes from, and commit to providing people throughout the organisation with an effective voice.
• Willing to change yourself by reflecting on your own leadership style and, where necessary, by developing your emotional intelligence as a leader.

The survey must begin no later than September 2023. If you are a very large company, the free offer is limited to one site or division of up to 500 employees.

Can we work together?

This offer comes with no risk and no hard sell.

If you think it is right for you and your organisation, just reply to this email and we’ll arrange a call. It’s open to three organisations who meet the criteria and who respond by Friday 28th July.

Let’s talk.