Adecco Whitepaper Unlocking Peoples Potential 2012

8/12/2019 Adecco Whitepaper Unlocking Peoples Potential 2012

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Unlocking PeoplesPotential

An Adecco Group Best Practice from the UK

Adecco Group White Paper


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1

Table of contents

Foreword 3

Unlocking Britains Potential 4

Manifesto 46

Position Paper on Training 48About the Adecco Group 49

Unlocking Peoples Potential


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3

Foreword

As this whitepaper goes to print, the crisis across the EU labour market is a well-documented reality.

Statistics and data ranging from the OECD Employment Outlook, to Eurostat data, to the EU Commissions

own Monthly Labour Market Fact Sheet draw the same gloomy picture of growing unemployment

and pessimism. On the other hand, the positive examples of countries in Europe with up-beat employment

ratios such as Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Nordics and in some sectors Italy, France and

certain Eastern European countries, show the other side of the coin: many vacancies remain unfilleddue to the lack of suitably skilled labour. This proves equally as challenging for policy makers,

businesses and workers alike.

As the largest staffing company in the world, the Adecco Group is present in most EU Member States,

looking to contribute solutions to the challenges of the national labour markets. Stepping up as a

labour market actor, our company is raising its voice: it is time to act and put forward solutions to bring

people to jobs. With agency work being the most secure form of flexible employment, the staffing

industry is indeed one of the key actors in bringing people to jobs.

It is a fact that Private Employment Agencies go beyond simply meeting the demands of business.

Our focus is also on employability and skills, on the potential that each person can bring to the workforce.

Potential that often needs unlocking.

To contribute to the discussion in Europe, the Adecco Group is proud to showcase Adecco UKs efforts

to Unlock Britains Potential. This is a true private sector led call for action, aiming to unite all key

stakeholders in the country ranging from other businesses and employers, to training institutions, to

Government and to the workers themselves.

This paper provides insights into Adecco UKs findings on education for employment, on breaking

down the diversity barriers, on the role of technology in the workplace and on the importance of

employee engagement.

Discover how to Unlock Peoples potential. Discover Adecco UKs best practice towards better

work, better life.

Unlocking Peoples Potential


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Partners:An initiative from:

2012 Report findings

UnlockingBritain'sPotential

4 Adecco Group White Paper www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk


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Partners:

An initiative from:

p4 Unlocking Britain's Potential: the time has come to act Peter Searle, CEO Adecco Group UK & Ireland

p6 Foreword Julie Mercer, Partner, Deloitte

p7 Foreword Phil Smith, CEO, Cisco UK & Ireland

p8 Research findings

p15 Educating for employment

p23 Breaking down the diversity barriers

p29 Technology in the workplace

p35 The importance of employee engagement

p40 The time for action is now

p42 About Adecco Group

5Contents | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

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6 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| The time has come to act www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


Unlocking Britain's Potential -the time has come to act

Twelve months ago we embarkedupon an ambitious project toidentify what actions UK businessmight take to unlock the potential

of its workforce.

Driven by ongoing economic uncertainty,inspired by the promise of a diverse andinclusive Olympic and Paralympic Games,and spurred on by the unrelenting rise ofeconomic superpowers such as China andRussia, we felt it was imperative to developa blueprint for future business success andcompetitiveness.

As we developed our thinking and spoke

to more and more business leaders,organisations and other stakeholders, itbecame increasingly obvious that we hadchosen to tackle a highly complex, yeturgent, set of issues.

We have been particularly struck by thestrength of feeling from some employers whoare obliged to provide wake up texts for theiryoung recruits in order to get them into workon time; complain that levels of literacy andnumeracy are way below par; and bemoanthe lack of basic workplace skills, such as

teamwork, communication and personalpresentation.

While it would be an overstatement to saythat the British labour market is 'broken', wehave an undeniable number of substantial,interrelated issues that will severely hamper ourability to compete in the global markets of thefuture, and will create an ongoing burden onthe nation's already strapped reserves.

Education is failing employers and employeesEducation is failing to equip the futureworkforce effectively. Many believe that therole of education should be to focus moreon employability skills in young people,

and less on qualifications. As a nation, weplace insufficient value on the basic tools ofemployability, such as behaviour, attitudeand communication; not just in the classroomand the workplace, but in the home too.

Equally, many have challenged theperception that university should be anautomatic choice for many young peoplewhen vocational training would be moreappropriate. While the lack of take upof STEM subjects means employers are

concerned that they will not have access toa sufficiently skilled workforce in the future.

We are failing our youth and creatinga 'lost workforce'A significant number of people have toldus that we are on the road to creatinga lost workforce excluded, possiblypermanently, from employment. Whilethis has been exacerbated by the currenteconomic conditions and high levels of youthunemployment, the feeling is that we havedone very little as a nation to tackle the issue.

We lack a co-ordinated, concerted effort toidentify potential lost workers at an earlystage, and to turn them around.

Access to labour aside, the existence of alost workforce' is likely to place a substantialburden on the nations resources throughescalating benefits claims.

Peter SearleCEO UK & IrelandAdecco Group


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7The time has come to act | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Partners:

Too few employers manage to create anongoing, engaging environment

Employers are investing in educating andtraining their workforce, often to make up forthe shortcomings in formal education. Many

have admirable approaches to diversity,inclusion and engaging with traditionallydifficult to reach sections of society, such asex-offenders; but many also lack a strategicapproach to the sort of ongoing employeeengagement strategy that recognises theneeds of a diverse workforce.

Forget big society small societiesare the normRemedial action around education, wellmeaning as it is, is delivered by a vast array

of bodies. There appears to be little or noreal regional or national accountabilityor responsibility, nor any attempt toco-ordinate effort. Far from being a bigsociety approach, what we have seen isa series of small societies struggling tomake an impact through well-meaning yetuncoordinated activity.

The time has come to actLets not pretend that the issues we haveidentified are straightforward, or the solutionsimmediately apparent. Yet they are certainly

real and pressing.

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We call upon the coalition government to take immediateaction to focus on finding long-term solutions. The debateneeds to focus on the following key areas, but the list is notexhaustive:

Collaboration there needs to be structured collaboration betweenemployers, education, government and other stakeholders to defineprecisely what we need our education sector to deliver and how we will

measure success. In particular, education from primary through secondary andtertiary needs to focus more on the quality of learning and employability and lesson the attainment of qualifications. We would welcome valued added measurementsof the effectiveness of educational establishments in alumni employment.

Employers need to be moreengaged in education, helping schools,colleges and universities to deliver against an employability agenda.

Employer engagement should not be restricted to major employers thereis an equally important role for SMEs, particularly those that reflect the diversity of thelocal economy.

Wider support and trainingneeds to be given to teachers in understandingthe needs of employers and the norms of the workplace. Regularsecondments into business would be a logical step forward, as well as

regular employer engagement in the classroom.

Work experiencein schools needs to be formalised and combined withcareers advice to create an employment experience programme. Tailoredto individual needs and aptitude, and with the full collaboration of employers,

employment experience needs to be less dependent on parental networks than the

current approach and should engender a better understanding of what it means tobe a successful employee. Consideration should also be given to how we engageparents in this programme.

We need to design a programme to identify and address issues around potentiallost workersat an early stage. This may well involve greater engagement withparents; it will certainly involve engagement with employers.

Employers need clear approaches to engagement. These approaches needto reflect the diverse nature of the workforce and cannot operate on a onesize fits all approach.

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A call to government...


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8 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| Foreword www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


Julie MercerPartner & Head of Education ConsultingDeloitte

Foreword:Julie Mercer - Partner, Deloitte

Deloitte is delighted to besupporting research into the roleof education in supporting UKeconomic growth.

Whether you are an employer or anemployee, a parent or a student, the roleof education in creating opportunity forindividuals, and ensuring economic growthfor companies and countries, is undisputed.The research in this report highlights thatdespite the record of reform and investmentby successive governments, the UK educationsystem still doesnt have enough youngpeople leaving academia with the skills,attitudes and behaviours that employersdemand. A sharp divide between the

agendas in schools and universities and theexpectations of employers is widening; theresult is a disproportionate number of youngpeople finding themselves unemployed andunable to find work.

As a major UK employer, and one of thelargest professional services firms in theworld, weve seen from our own experience and that of our clients in every corner ofthe economy the continued disconnectbetween education and employment. We

also recognise that this is nothing new, andthat consecutive UK governments, businessleaders and education professionals haveworked hard to close the gap; but withoutabsolute success.

A new relationship and new ways of workingbetween government, educators andbusiness is now needed. We have a greathistory in the UK of thriving on innovation andcreating economic value. We need to draw onthis heritage if we are to confront the growingchallenge of youth unemployment and the

need to renew our workforce to compete in afast moving and competitive global economy.

This report represents a starting point inaddressing some of the key challenges thatface us now, and underlines the need tobring employers and educators together for acommon cause. Unlocking Britains potentialthrough the medium of education requiresyoung people to be introduced to the worldof work much earlier, and offered the sort ofexperiences that will set expectations anddevelop the attitudes and behaviours neededto succeed in the modern workplace. Weneed to rethink the role of careers adviceand how we can structure work experienceto make it more compelling; in all, how wedeliver a longer term, relationship driven route

to employability and employment.

Employers such as Deloitte recognisethat education doesnt stop at our frontdoor. We need to reach out into our localcommunities, engage schools, colleges anduniversities, and continue to develop ourpeople throughout their time with us. Eachyear we train over 1000 graduates and 100school leavers on our graduate programmesand Bright Start initiative. We work withcolleges across the UK to deliver the Deloitte

Employability Programme and have helpedover 25,000 young people gain the skillsthey need to secure and stay in employment.Current government policy is looking toengage businesses more directly witheducation through free schools and UTCs,apprenticeships and applied research in STEMsubjects. This approach could act as a catalystfor the development of a fundamentallynew relationship between institutions andemployers. This research highlights just howimportant it is to work together to unlockBritains potential.

The UK education

system still doesnt haveenough young peopleleaving academia with

the skills, attitudesand behaviours thatemployers demand


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9Foreword | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Partners:

Phil SmithCEOCisco UK & Ireland

Foreword:Phil Smith - CEO, Cisco UK & Ireland

There is little doubt in my mindthat the London 2012 Olympicand Paralympic Games thissummer provide the greatest

opportunity for British business ina generation, if not longer.

The 'Greatest Show on Earth' is coming toLondon and for several weeks the eyes ofthe world will turn to the UK. The opportunityto make the most of this in the short termand benefit from the influx of visitors andactivities is clear, but longer term gains andthe opportunity to implement a lasting legacyis the bigger prize at stake. This extendsbeyond just a commercial perspective as we

have a unique chance to boost morale, newskills, innovation and economic growth.Making the 2012 Games a long term successis a challenge that spans all communitiesand demographics. Government andbusiness leaders of course have a role toplay, but it is a collaborative effort and itis essential that the public and the Britishworkforce believe in what can be achievedand are prepared, inspired and wellequipped to succeed in their own personalroles.

Cisco's research* conducted amongst the UKworkforce last year shows that attitudes aremixed towards the impact which the 2012Games will have on business and society.Now that the Olympic year is upon us, itis timely that Adecco Group has chosento create this report and undertake theUnlocking Britain's Potential (UBP) initiative.The round-table discussions and researchelements of UBP present some fascinatinginsights into the current UK workforce.Adecco Group's research is well placed

to explore and explain the underlyingissue of 'employability' and how today'semployees, and indeed the next generationof employees, can be best equipped with thetools and knowledge needed for their jobs.

Training and skills development is certainlycrucial and technology will increasingly playa part in delivering this. Technology will alsobe essential to providing workers with themodern 'connected' working environmentwhich the consumerisation ofIT is demanding.

Finally, the UBP project goes a long wayto understanding the hurdles employees,employers, senior business figures and thegovernment need to overcome to ensure

our workforce is well-placed to deliver theirbest for the good of the UK economy. It isclear in the research that Adecco Grouphas uncovered that everyone has a role toplay in unlocking Britain's potential and thefindings highlight that diversity and inclusion,educating for employment, technology inthe workplace and employee engagementacross the organisation are key elementsof promoting a collaborative approach tonurturing new talent.

Cisco fully supports Adecco Group's work

and as fellow partner in the London 2012Olympic and Paralympic Games, we lookforward to addressing these challenges anddelivering on our own promise of buildinga brilliant future for the UK - both in thisOlympic year and beyond.

49%of those surveyed believed thatthe Olympic Games could help

the UK overall*

51%thought that the Games could

help boost patriotism and moralein Britain*

40%were already in agreement

that London 2012 will play animportant role in building a better

Britain in the long term*


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of employers think there needs to be a collaborativeeffort between government, employers, parents,individuals and the education system to ensurethat those entering the workforce have the skillsrequired by potential employers.

Key highlights of our research include:

67%

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SKILLS, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS OF EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS

ENGAGEMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY

of employers think that companies with a diverse workforce are best placed to succeed

of employers

see engaging/motivatingstaff as akey businesschallenge in2011

of organisations dont focuson engaging their non-directlyemployed or temporary workforce

Access to social media at workis impacting on productivity

of workers think support(the quality of linemanagement) is a keyelement in bringing outthe best in people

% of respondents who say university does not equip graduateswith the right skills for the workplace

Employers think the education system isfailing to meet the needs of employerstoday

% of employers who say basicnumeracy and literacy is lacking

69%

69%1/4

vsemployers

workersemployers

53%

employees

46%

employers workers36% 52%vs

On what do employers rate future potential?

91%attitude

55%work experience

education/qualification

35%

ACCESS TO TALENT/ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT

25%

58% 59%36%

11Research findings | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk


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12 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| Research findings www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


Research findingsEducating for employment

1 in 3 employers (36%) think theeducation system is failing tomeet the needs of employerstoday

Over half (53%) of employerssay that university graduateshave unrealistic expectationsof working life although just18% think school leavers aregenerally better employeesthan graduates

Over half (52%) of workers thinkthe education system has failedto equip young people withthe right skills for work 46%of graduate workers think thatuniversity does not equip themwith the right skills to dotheir job

In assessing future potential,employers rate attitude/personality (91%) as moreimportant than education/qualifications (35%) and workexperience (55%)

Over 1 in 7 workers has neverbeen given any training at work

The skills that employers feel are

most lacking in newcomers areinterpersonal skills (41%) and ITskills (41%) 25% also report alack of basic skills

Over two-fifths of employers(43%) claim to already have anapprenticeship programme inplace, and these are consideredto provide a cost effectiveresource by 51% of employers,to fill a skills gap (50%), and tobetter align employees to theorganisational culture (46%).

53%of employers say that university

graduates have unrealisticexpectations of working life

1 in 3employers (36%) think the

education system is failing tomeet the needs of employers

today

91%of employers rate attitude and

personality as more importantthan education and qualifications


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Partners:

Research findingsBreaking down the diversity barriers

Over four-fifths (86%) ofemployers say that diversityand inclusion are important totheir organisation, and 69%

think that companies withdiverse workforces are bestplaced to succeed

Almost half of employeessay they are more attractedto a company with a diverseworkforce

The key benefits to employersof having a diverse andinclusive workforce are seento be improved companyculture (70%) and improvedrelationships with customers(54%)

1 in 4 (27%) employers thinkmost diversity programmes areaimed at gaining good publicityrather than truly changing

company culture almost half(47%) of workers hold this view

Over a quarter (29%) ofemployers say there is a certaintype of person they tend torecruit

Over half (55%) of employerssee no barriers to achievinga diverse workforce. The keybarriers reported are industrysectors not appealing to certainsections of society (18%), anddifficulties accessing certainsectors of society (17%)

The actions taken to builda sense of inclusion are notwidely recognised by workersthemselves.

86%of those surveyed believed thatthe Olympic Games could help

the UK overall

1 in4employers think most diversity

programmes are aimed atgaining good publicity

29%of employers say there is a

certain type of person they tend

to recruit

69%of employers think thatcompanies with diverse

workforces are best placedto suceed

1 in4employers think most diversity

programmes are aimed atgaining good publicity

29%of employers say there is a

certain type of person they tendto recruit


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14 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| Research findings www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


Research findingsTechnology in the workplace

Employers see technology ashaving a positive impact ona range of areas within theirorganisations; most notably on

communication/collaboration(82%), productivity/efficiency(76%), and innovation (73%).Public sector and the IT andtelecoms sectors report morebenefits than other sectors

Workers are less able tocomment on the positive impact,although communication (48%)

and productivity (45%) did comeout on top

Close to two-thirds (62%) ofemployers think that the useof email is seriously impactinginterpersonal communication.Only 49% of workers agree

More than half (55%) ofemployers say the use of

text speech in businesscommunications presentsa problem; yet only 49%of workers agree

Well over half (59%) ofemployers see access to socialmedia and instant messagingat work as impacting on

productivity, although just 36%of workers think that is the case

1 in 5 (20%) employers think theyneed to allow more flexibilitywith their social media andinstant messaging policies(36% of workers agree)

Although 53% of employersthink that 25 year olds and 40year olds are equally adeptat understanding how to usetechnology in innovative ways,45% think 25 year olds arebetter, compared to just 2%who think that 40 year olds are.

62%of employers think that the useof email is seriously impactinginterpersonal communication

1 in5employers think they needto allow more flexibility with

their social media and instantmessaging policies

55%of employers say the useof text speech in businesscommunications presents

a problem


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Partners:

Research findingsThe importance of employee engagement

1 in 4 employers see engaging/motivating staff (27%) as a keybusiness challenge in 2011

Just 10% of employers ratethemselves as excellent atbringing out the best in theirpeople

Only 1 in 6 employees describesthe majority of their peers atwork as being very engaged

Only 59% of companies claim tohave an employee engagement

strategy (44% in companies ofless than 250 employees)

Employers rate nurturing trustbetween management andemployees most highly (65%)

Just 42% focus on engagingtheir non-directly employed ortemporary workers

Basic levels of pay (17%) areless important to employeesthan fairness of pay comparedto peers (36%), senior

management (13%), or otherorganisations (21%)

Employers think that the workerwho is paid less but hasunstinting support/recognitionfrom their manager (82%) ismore engaged than the onepaid more but with little support(18%)

Over half (52%) of companiesare concerned that someof their employees are tooengaged.

The key elements thatemployees think bring out

the best in people are:

BelongingEmployees understanding andfeeling part of the companysvalues and objectives (75%)

SupportQuality of line management/

support (69%)

VoiceEnsuring employees feel

heard (66%)

TrustNurturing trust between

management andemployees (58%)


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17Educating for employment | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Educating foremploymentSummarising the challenges

The education sector has different goals from employers

There is insufficient linkage between educators and employers

Young people don't emerge from education 'work ready'

Education is the key to social mobility - but that door remains lockedto too many

We're still not focusing on the areas where there are skills shortagese.g. STEM subjects

We are not nurturing the attitudes and behaviours that make peopleemployable

Too often training and development is given at the discretion ofemployers rather than as a right of employees.


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18 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| Educating for employment www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


Our research suggests that educationhas lost touch with the demands of theworkplace. On the one hand, we have aschool system that teaches pupils to passexams, creativity is hindered by bureaucracy,

and the focus on league table placing hasfurther weakened any existing links betweeneducators and employers. On the otherhand, the changing attitude of young peoplein this country has led to less importancebeing placed on respect for authority and selfmotivation, than by previous generations.The melding of such disparate changes hasturned out a generation that is simply notready for the world of work.

Education is the key to social mobility:

with the right skills, attitude andbehaviours nurtured at school as wellas the qualifications gained the doors toemployment can be opened. However, thenarrow focus on exam success and the lackof buy-in from both educators and pupilsaround the importance and benefit of STEMsubjects, is leading to too few young peopleheading for the workplace with an educationpackage that will make a positive differencein the creative and technology industries;industries that will play an ever-increasingpart in the UKs success in years to come.

Equally, it would seem, many of these youngpeople are not ready for the rigours ofuniversity. The previous governments focuson getting 50% of school leavers at 18 intohigher education appears to have weakenedrather than strengthened the university cohortand very often, the first year of a studentsuniversity experience is spent learning how tostudy rather than moving that study forward.The focus of university teaching remainssteadfastly on the narrow academic subject

and far too few employers involve themselvesin changing this dynamic, until the last yearof study when they sweep down from onhigh to hoover up the best and brightesttalent from a very select group of universities.

Given that the demands of employers forpunctual, well-presented, and eager towork graduates remains unchanged, wesuggest the result is that our graduatesare less prepared for working life than pastgenerations, with unrealistic demands drivenby an unwarranted sense of expectation.With unprecedented youth unemployment,its time for a reality check at all levels.

This reality check must include the career-long learning that a development culture at

work aims to foster. One in seven employeeshas never received any training, whileemployers report that around a quarter ofemployees require support in basic skills.Somewhere, the aspiration for a learningworkforce, continually improving, has beenlost.

The CIPDs Ben Willmott highlighted theissues reflected in many of the responseswe received: One issue that comes from ourmembers time and again is that employersarent happy with the quality of numeracy

and literacy coming out of our schools andare even less happy with the lack of basicemployability skills. That encompasses suchthings as effective communication skills ina business context, reliability, presentation,attendance and team working. We reallyneed to build these back into the system and perhaps the current debate aroundvocational skills will begin to addressthese issues.

Less importance has

been placed on respectfor perceived authority

and self motivation

Lack of buy-in amongboth educators and

pupils to the importanceand benefit of STEM

subjects

Our graduates are lessprepared for working life

than past generations


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19Educating for employment | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Partners:

We have to look at the root causes thatare affecting employability, and one of thechallenges we face is overcoming a schooland university system focused on resultsset against a global economy that values

imagination, creativity and the ability to thinkoutside the box, added eSkills Colette Lux.We see success where employers get involvedwith students right through their programme,presenting case studies or problems to workthrough with students on away days. Theykeep in touch over the internet, giving adviceon CVs and so forth. It broadens the studentsthinking and makes the employers moreaware of what students are really like.

Collaboration is key

To be fair, the UKs education systemis broadly in line with what we need asemployers, commented Ian Foddering, ChiefTechnology Officer at Cisco UK & Ireland. Thechallenge is the lack of real-world experienceacross the education sector which leads toinstitutionalised stereotyping of certain rolesand sectors of industry. All engineers wearblue overalls and get their hands dirty, whileall IT professionals sit in darkened roomswriting code all day, for instance. And, ofcourse, both sectors are only open to men.Clearly, if youre looking to bring people into

certain sectors, you need to break downthe misperceptions. That means not onlyimproving careers advice for pupils andstudents, but working with teachers and evenparents to give a much more rounded andcomprehensive view of the realities of careersthat STEM subjects lead to.

The onus has to be on employers to getinvolved at an earlier stage and to a greaterdegree with all three target groups; and toprovide opportunities to open young peoples

eyes to what it means to be employable.With the introduction of tuition fees, I expectto see more people going for science,engineering and technology jobs becausethey see those as the areas where jobs will

be. Humanities and social sciences may notlook quite as attractive. But I also get a senseamong many of the young people that Ispeak to, that they have a genuine interest inhow things work. With the consumerisation oftechnology this is becoming more prevalent,and I expect it to lead to more of a take-up oftechnology-based work.

What we need is a few more heroes moreMark Zuckerbergs: preferably British, and itwould be nice if they werent all men!

Fostering the right skillsFor Julie Mercer at Deloitte, overcoming theemployability challenge has to start at schoollevel probably earlier than engagementcurrently takes place. Employers, schools,government and charities should be workingtogether to create open channels forbusinesses to better engage with schools, toopen up the world of work to young people.Young people are no less clever than theyhave ever been, but somehow we haveto foster the right attitude and behaviours

that will help them to achieve their fullpotential. It isnt fair to leave that solely toschools employers have to take on someresponsibility because if we dont take adifferent approach, nothing will ever change.Dr. Neslyn Watson-Drue, MD of BeaconOrganisational Development added: Do wefocus sufficiently on building the emotionalintelligence with students? Theres atremendous amount of work done inprimary education around self-awarenessand building of confidence.

The challenge is the

lack of real-worldexperience across the

education sector

The onus has to beon employers to get

involved earlier

We have to foster

the right attitude andbehaviours that will helpthem to achieve their

full potential

There are some soft skills that are prettyfundamental to the hard-core success ofBritish industries, yet were not building

them in at school.Dr. Neslyn Watson-Drue, MD,Beacon Organisational Development


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20 www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


Yet, somehow in secondary education wedont pay sufficient attention. And researchhas actually demonstrated that the peoplewho are more successful within their jobs arethe people with high emotional intelligence.

Thats important because of self-awareness,confidence, and reliance all the issuesrelating to relationship skills. At a higher level,when we look at the people who are askedto leave employment, often its not becauseof their technical skills, but because of arelationship issue. There are some soft skillsthat are pretty fundamental to the hard-coresuccess of British industries, yet were notbuilding them in at school.

Employers told us that they recruit on the

basis of attitude and personality its whatdifferentiates candidates who generally willhave very similar qualifications.

Competencies are tested and employers lookfor relevant experience, so theres a strongonus too on those entering the world of workto maximise their attractiveness as potentialemployees.

Louis Alcock, a first year History studentat Brunel University, explained how hesalready planning for life beyond the university

library: Im converting to a sandwich degreeto obtain some work experience prior tograduation. At the moment, Im doingall I can to achieve high grades becausealthough the first year does not count tothe overall degree, its the basis on whichstudents will be judged during the applicationprocess for work experience. Ive also startedwriting for the university newspaper andam attempting to find volunteer work andpossibly minor work experience in order tobe pro-active during my holiday periods.

Paul Deighton from LOCOG acknowledgedthe effort put in by students such as Louis,and pointed out the necessity of goingbeyond the narrow educational route.We need to place a much greater focus

on doing things together because thatsgenerally how we solve issues and moveforward at work. In education, we completetests and assignments individually, so peopleneed to learn the kind of team working andnetworking skills that give you the ability tooperate in the workplace. We really needto give people the exposure to this kind ofenvironment while theyre still at school.People at school get some strange ideasabout work and indeed particular kinds ofwork, added Ian Dewar, MD, Ergonomic

Solutions. Its particularly hard to engagewith school students around science andengineering its all a bit too hard andgeeky. We know that there are skills gapsin our industry, but too little is being doneto address this. But there are some greatinitiatives out there. I get involved withsomething called Team Tech which is allabout dispelling the myths around scienceand engineering careers. It actually doesnttake very much to show young people thatscientists and engineers arent geeks butare normal people with interesting lives

and fun jobs.

Employers told us that

they recruit on thebasis of attitude andpersonality its what

differentiates candidateswho generally willhave very similar

qualifications

Theres a strong

onus too on thoseentering the worldof work to maximise

their attractiveness aspotential employees

Its particularly hard toengage with school

students around scienceand engineering itsall a bit too hard and

geeky

Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| Educating for employment


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21www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Partners:

Case Study: Aaron Pett, celebrity hairdresser of the future

Aaron Pett is 23 and was diagnosed with autism even before hisschooling began. After a primary education in a special needs

school he moved to a mainstream comprehensive in Kent as oneof the first pupils in an autism unit.

Although he attended mainstream classes, he was singled outfor verbal abuse and bullying throughout his senior school career.It was very discriminatory and very hurtful, he recalled. I wasshy and quite sensitive, and all this did was knock my confidence

even further.

After GCSEs, Aaron stayed at the school to study for a BTECNational in Art and Design. On leaving school he set out to findan apprenticeship in hairdressing but initially received knock-backafter knock-back.

Potential employers saw the autism first and me second, heexplained. Some simply werent hiring, but others came up withexcuses, mainly saying they didnt think Id be able to cope withthe pressure of a job.

At this point Aaron was introduced to The Princes Trust. They

helped him to get an apprenticeship with prestigious Londonhairdresser Daniel Galvin junior, himself an Ambassador for ThePrinces Trust.

I completed a two-year apprenticeship at the salon, Aaronexplained. At first it was hard to deal with clients and all mycolleagues. I tend to take everything people say very literally sojokes and casual remarks can seem very personal and hurtful.But I got a lot of 1:1 mentoring both within the salon and from The

Princes Trust, which helped me develop social strategies thatboosted my confidence both in the job and in social situations I even started DJ-ing for a while!

Since completing his apprenticeship, Aaron has worked back inKent, but is now planning to start working again in London. Myexperience with Daniel Galvin junior has been invaluable, but nowits up to me to find my next great job. Im very lucky in that Ivehad great support at home from my parents and grandparents.They made me very aware that you get nothing without effortin this life and that I cant afford to sit around on my backsidewaiting for something to happen.

I know from the tough times when I couldnt get a job that youhave to stay positive, be proactive and, most of all, be persistent.I have a goal one day to be a celebrity hairdresser and will usethat celebrity status to raise awareness of autism and aspergers.

My autism is a part of me but it doesnt define me. We all have thecapability to achieve great things. But they dont just happen. Theyonly come about through hard work. Perhaps that attitude doesntget reinforced enough at school.

Aaron is now a Young Ambassador for The Princes Trust andspeaks to other young people about his achievements and howhe has overcome barriers to reach the world of work.

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Challenging perceptionsCitrix Development Director Andrew Halleybemoaned the way IT is taught in schools,and computer science at university. IT atschool is boring the Government has

admitted it and Im glad Michael Gove ismaking changes. We have a generation whooutstrip their teachers and the curriculumruns way behind their day to day experience.IT lessons appear to be trying to teach themhow to use technology but even at primarylevel it lags behind their skillset. We need todump lessons in how to turn on a PC andstart thinking about Robot Wars. We have awonderfully maverick programming vitality inthis country and we need to start harnessingthat at a much younger age.

This wrong-headedness in teaching isamplified at university level. ComputerScience is teaching the kind of coding skillsnecessary for success a decade ago, ratherthan building the blend of business andtechnology skills necessary to succeed inorganisations today. Organisations areoutsourcing the kind of skills graduatesarrive with today and inevitably, much of thisdevelopment and support work is off-shored.Its frustrating, but well only overcome thatfrustration when employers and institutions

start working much more closely togetheron curriculum development and ongoingprojects. Of course it happens in patches,but its far from the norm.

Fiona Andrews who heads HR and PeopleDevelopment at the Tower Gate InsuranceGroup noted that graduates sometimes haveunfeasible expectations of the workplace:We dont have a graduate recruitmentscheme although we have many graduatesworking within the organisation. Theyre very

talented people contributing significantly, butwe dont actively go and recruit graduates.Thats because we find it very difficult tomanage their expectations once they arewith us. Something happens to them in the

process of further education which leads theindividual to believe that they are somehowelevated beyond their peer group when theycome into an employment environment. Andwe struggle then to retain them becausethey dont necessarily secure the more seniorroles that they have perhaps been led toexpect to get earlier than anyone else.

So we are quite active in securing reallytalented, good quality people who arecoming through with GCSEs, A levels, further

education, and work-based educationbecause we just find that they are morepredisposed to all the emotional intelligenceelements they just want to work, theywant to get on, they want to really make adifference, and they flourish.

The charity Career Academies UK is oneexample of an initiative thats bringingemployers and students together in a longer-term and more meaningful relationship,explained Steven Kirkpatrick, MD, AdeccoUK & Ireland. Their six-week long paid

internships provide a fantastic insight intowhat works really like for 16-19 year olds,and the beauty is that theyre based onmatching the right student with the rightpotential employer, not the old patronageof who you know, not what you know.

Career Academies UK is part of the DeputyPrime Ministers Business Compact to ensureevery individual is free to achieve, regardlessof the circumstances of their birth. Thisinitiative is a positive step towards enabling

We need to dump

lessons in how toturn on a PC and

start thinking aboutRobot Wars

Some employers focus

on recruiting schoolleavers over graduates

Something happens inthe process of furthereducation which leadsthe individual to believe

they are somehowelevated beyond their

peer group

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Partners:

greater social mobility and it would begreat to see many more employers involved.

The ApprenticeAnother alternative route to work is the

apprenticeship scheme, although ourresearch suggested its both misunderstoodand undervalued. Apprenticeships allowemployers to take a risk, explained AndyWilson, Principal at Westminster KingswayCollege. They can take relatively unformedworkers and train them with formal supportfrom FE colleges. They can develop thecultural needs they want from that personso that they can work within the organisationand have a major influence in shaping thefuture employee.

FE colleges can play a crucial role invocational education what we do hasto have a work focus and blend practicalskills with the soft skills wanted by industry.Young people tend to come to us knowingthe career they want, and put a great dealof effort into the practical side of the course.What theyre less attuned to is the need tokeep up other parts of the core curriculum English and Maths for instance which willreally give them the opportunity of landing aworking role.

Careers education in school tends not to begreat and is failing to give young people arealistic view of what work actually demands.

We highly value apprenticeships, IanFoddering added. We started a formalapprenticeship scheme last year with schoolleavers and it has been enlightening notleast because our best and most motivatedapprentices have been young women inwhats still a male-dominated industry.

They have a more mature outlook and a realenthusiasm both for the work and for Ciscoas an organisation.

Continual training

Once within work, employees can find theyrestuck in a particular groove and expected todo the same thing forever.

Andy continued: We will only get the best outof our people fully unlock their potential ifwe continue to invest in their development.My experience is that I only get the bestout of my own organisation if I give peoplea range of experiences that allow them todevelop personally and as workers withinthe college. Im trying to develop a culture

where individuals take responsibility for theirown development, but where everyone isresponsible for everybody elses developmenttoo.

Ian Dewar added: Last year I came underpressure to cut our training budget, butI rejected all the cuts and tried to makesure I encouraged our managers to spendmoney on developing their teams. As soonas we stop developing our people, wego backwards. Thats the last thing anyorganisation in the UK can afford to do.

FE colleges play a

crucial role in vocationaleducation

We will only get the bestout of our people if we

continue to invest in theirdevelopment

Careers education in school tends notto be great and is failing to give youngpeople a realistic view of what work

actually demands.Andy Wilson,Principal,Westminister Kingsway College

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www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk



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25Breaking down the diversity barriers | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Breaking downthe diversitybarriersSummarising the challenges

We are in danger of leaving a lost workforce behind: bothemployers and employees agree that if we dont all change, therewill be a permanent group whose attitude, behaviour, educationand background will render them unemployable

Inclusiveness is a great idea with real business benefits but oftenin the too hard box

Legislation has brought us a long way in the last 20 years, but hasalso encouraged a tick box attitude to diversity

Many organisations are dumb, fat and happy theres no intent todiscriminate, but little effort made to unlock inclusiveness

Overt diversity activity can build cynicism the trick is meritocracy,sometimes delivered through diversity by stealth

Role models throughout the workforce as long as theyre nottokens are the best motivators for inclusiveness

The focus must switch from diversity as an HR issue to the benefits ofinclusiveness as a driver of business success.


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26 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| Breaking down the diversity barriers www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

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The key issue to emerge from UBP to date is therise of the lost workforce the hard to reach,hard to include and easy to ignore group thatsits on the margins of employability. Whetherits through a cultural background of long-term

family unemployment; the breakdown of familystructure; failure to engage with education;long term illness; past criminality or peerculture, theres clear evidence of a growingnumber of people who currently sit outside thereach of employers. While some in this groupclearly have no desire to work legitimately, thatnumber is very small. Far many more wouldrelish the opportunity to work, but simply dontknow how.

We know there are groups in society with

whom its very hard to engage and to drawinto a work environment, commented ChrisMoore from Adecco Group. One of theimmediate issues is the over-use of underclass a horribly pejorative term that hardly buildsconfidence in anyone associated with the termor, indeed, potential employers. We need tounderstand why the long term unemployedand never employed have fallen through thecracks and, as a society, work much harder toreverse the downward employment spiral forthose who have no positive experience of work.

We recognise NEETs*as part of the lostworkforce issue, and have to change the waywe approach employer/education involvementto find a way to excite and inspire our youngpeople, and to fire up their employability. Atthe moment, we dont place sufficient value,at home or in education, on the basic tools ofemployability the attitude, collaborative spiritand personal responsibility that will deliversuccess. But fostering such a culture doesntstop at the employers door.

We need a wider definition of diversity andinclusion to draw in the long term unemployed,ex-offenders, and even ex-service personnel.Employers need to focus as much attention onthese sectors as on others, Emma Wordsworth,

HR Director at Veolia Environmental Service Ltdtold us. There is some understandable concernamong employers that these groups may provedifficult to attract, develop and retain. However,those that have worked in this area have beenvery pleasantly surprised. If were prepared tomake the effort to work with the excluded, thebenefits can be exponential.

No more box tickingWhat emerged strongly from our research isthat diversity is too often a tick the box exercise

in many organisations. Rather than creatinginclusive cultures to drive effective working,theres an emphasis on meeting the demandsof regulation. Thus diversity becomes an add-on, an HR process, rather than inclusivenessbecoming a way of making business better.Employers see the value of an inclusiveworkforce, and employees want to workin organisations that are diverse. But asidefrom the demands of regulation, what trueinclusiveness is and feels like, remains vague.

Diversity is both a heart and head issue, said

Val Stevenson, HR Director at Deloitte. Theresa moral imperative in considering diversityand inclusiveness in everything we do in thebusiness, but it also makes sound businesssense. Our clients are not all male, or middleclass or middle aged, so why would they wantto constantly meet identikit accountants? Ifour clients are talking about tax matters, theywant to talk to someone who knows wheretheyre coming from: someone who may reflecttheir background. In the last few years, wevecertainly widened our recruitment strategy with

We need to understand

why the long termunemployed and neveremployed have fallen

through the cracks

Diversity is too often atick the box excerise in

many organisations

Aside from the demandsof regulation, what trueinclusiveness is and

feels like remains vague

*Not in education, employment or training


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27Breaking down the diversity barriers | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Partners:

A diverse range of

backgrounds can bringdifferent perspectives to

problems

Employees are afraidto admit to the issue of

mental health

The easiest thing when it

comes to recruiting is tohire people just like us

Mental health is the biggest issue thatpeople dont understand.

Peter Jones,Senior Employer Relationship Manager,Job Centre Plus

a focus on attracting more women and morepotential recruits from the Afro-Caribbeancommunity, and have specific programmes inplace to get a wider spread of new entrants,both at graduate level and straight from

school.

Ben Willmott from the CIPD added: Havinga workforce that reflects your customer basecertainly means youre more likely to havepeople who can respond most effectivelyto customer demand. A diverse range ofbackgrounds can bring different perspectivesto problems getting that mix of perspectives ispowerful: in many cases leading to new ideasand innovation.

If the UK is to maintain a leading position in thebusiness world, such new perspectives ableto generate insight and innovation will beessential.

The research showed that most employers stillfocus on diversity in terms of areas that areregulated the 16 definitions encompassedwithin age, gender, disability, sexuality andrace. But Peter Jones from Job Centre Plushighlighted perhaps the most insidious aspectof exclusion at work mental health.

Mental health is the biggest issue that peopledont understand. It is a huge deterrent for jobseekers not least because very few employersdo anything to advertise the fact that they havea culture, policies and people in place to helpthose with a mental health condition.

The feeling from our roundtable was thatemployees are afraid to admit to theissue of mental health ; and if those withinorganisations are fearful of admitting to amental illness, theres even less chance that

those outside the workforce who suffer fromany mental illness will be drawn back into aworkforce they perceive will reject them.

Changing the status quo

Nikki Walker, Head of Diversion and Inclusivityat Cisco raised one of the most challengingissues for many employers effectivelybeing dumb, fat and happy. For a lot oforganisations, the challenge is that outside theteam specifically responsible for it and mostsmall organisations wont even have sucha team diversity isnt even on the agenda.If the organisation is doing reasonably well,the majority wont even be thinking about thevalue they might gain by working a little bitharder to bring in people outside the cultural

norm. The easiest thing when it comes torecruiting is to hire people just like us. Thustheres a challenge to switch the lights onamong management to show them that wecould be even better as a business by breakingthe mould. But so often, thats just in the toohard box even though we recognise thatmore marginalised groups are now forming asizeable minority in the population.

One of the keys to challenging norms is topresent the right kind of role models whoclearly demonstrate the benefits of including

a particular group, rather than the difficulties,added David Halliwell from Digital OutreachUK. Its not about celebrity endorsementor even the kind of disabled person whospresenting childrens TV one minute andclimbing a mountain the next. Its about beingable to get people from a particular communitywho can connect with that community. If youretalking to builders about the danger of skincancer, its no good bringing in a researchscientist. Find some common ground and buildthe link.


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Tracey Abbott from the Employers Forum onDisability offered a different insight on diversity.In the end, it comes down to breaking downthe barriers to employment: making yourstrategy from attraction to recruitment to

retention open to all and based on skills, ratherthan on any past culture in the organisation.

Another issue raised in the research wasthe cynicism that an overt diversity agendacan raise. Alison Dalton from British Airwaysresponded, saying: Ive worked in diversity forsome time and have come across quite a lot ofnegativity and cynicism. People in the businesssee the issue as about being politically correct.We need to change that perception. I practicediversity by stealth; where we dont go in and

actually say This is a diversity initiative, butjust get on and do things that make it easierfor everyone to work in the business. Then itsabout working at presenting an image of BAto our staff that truly reflects just what a diverseorganisation we are a small example is usingdiverse images on our websites, something weprobably wouldnt even have thought of a fewyears ago.

We will make the breakthrough on diversityif we stop thinking about the different strandsof diversity and focus on inclusion making it

as easy as possible to include the best peoplefor our organisation within the organisation,irrespective of any particular diversity categorythat they may fit into, commented SimonLangley from the National Grid. Much ofthe focus organisations place on this is atrecruitment level and many organisationshave a wide mix of people at junior levels. Butsuch inclusivity breaks down at more seniorlevels, and theres less of a push to encouragetalent outside the norm to develop their careersup the management ladder. So, perhaps to

make diversity a non-issue in the future, weshould invest more internally to develop ourpeople, and focus on making sure that leadersand senior managers recognise that talentexists beyond white able bodied males.

Look at almost any organisation and youllsee a bleaching effect as you look up themanagement ladder. By the top few rungsits generally male and all too often white. So,theres a need to demonstrate to those furtherdown the ladder that the doors are open tothem and to convince our leaders of the meritof not simply promoting in their own image.

Sarah Grice at Standard Chartered picked upthe point, focusing on how particular industries

have a stereotype employee using her ownbanking industry as an example of whereemployers need to change perceptions; bothamong diverse communities and amongrecruiting managers. We have to challengeperceptions of what a banker is. We needto educate much wider groups of potentialrecruits to make them feel comfortable thatbanking could be a great career for them. Andwe must break down the recruiting in your ownlikeness syndrome among our managers. Withlimited resources and a conservative culture,thats hard.

For Ian Dewar, Ergonomic Solutions, thatactually means taking diversity away from astream in itself and making it part of everythingthe organisation does naturally. Its a partof our value-set: the behaviours we live by.Nowhere will you see the word diversity, butour values are all about encouraging broaderthinking and fairer play.

An overt diversity

agenda can causecynicism

Employers would do wellto focus on inclusion, not

just diversity

There needs to be focuson industry stereotypes

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Partners:

The strategy makes sound business sense: Deloitte aims towiden its demographic to mirror its client base. Equally, in recentyears, the company has placed greater focus on looking afterits people within the business, which enhances its attractiveness

as an employer, reduces absenteeism, and boosts businessperformance.

We launched our Well Now programme in 2007 to harmonisethe many initiatives we had in place to improve the wellbeingof our people, explained HR Director Val Stevenson. Thisincludes everything from an occupational health programmeand free health checks, to an onsite gym and health suite, anda programme to build resilience across the different stages of apersons working life. One thing weve learned more and more isthat health issues arent always physical and that mental healthis an issue for many people, but one that few are either willing totalk about or to invest in.

Deloitte is quite different: In 2010, one of our partners, JohnBinns, came out very openly about his own experiences ofdepression and how he had been supported at the organisation.Indeed, when he came back to work he set up a Mental HealthChampions Network, working with the charities Mind and Standto Reason.

The stipulation for the Network was that it had to be made upof partners within the firm who have made themselves availableto talk to anybody who has a mental health condition or ismanaging somebody with one. The partners have to make a

difference, acting as advocates and opening up doors for thosewho need help. Theyre not meant to replace medical experts their strength is that they know Deloitte well and know where helpis available. They get training from specialists and know when itsright to call in professional medical help.

Thanks to Johns courage in sticking his head above the parapet,weve removed that stigma of You cant talk about mental health.Now, our network is very public and what we do is out there inthe general domain. We hope that future recruits will be seeingthat and listening to what weve said about Mental Health, andwill see Deloitte as a place to work that has greater awarenessaround mental illness. Were proud signatories to the

Mindful Employers Charter for Employers who are positiveabout mental health.*

Case Study: Mental Health Champions at Deloitte

Deloitte is the UKs second largest professional services employer,with over 12,000 people across more than 20 offices. In recentyears it has worked hard on its social mobility agenda, aiming

to move from recruiting in our own image to attracting newentries from groups who might never have seen the firm as arecruitment possibility before.

*Some information for this case study was sourced from IDS HR Study 958 Employee Health and Wellbeing

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31Technology in the workplace | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Technology inthe workplaceSummarising the challenges

Contributors were less worried about the development of technology

than the use of it in the workplace

The balance of freedom and control has yet to be reached in manyorganisations use of social media

The younger generations dont separate the technology they useoutside work from their needs in their working life

Technology is helping us break down the silos we work in - and will

gain even more traction in doing so in the future.


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32 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| Technology in the workplace www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


When we first asked people abouttechnologys impact in the workplace, weexpected a lot of talk about the automationof previously labour-intensive tasks, andeven the impact of globalisation in offshoring

many of the back office tasks previouslyundertaken in-house across the full spectrumof British organisations. Yet these issues werehardly touched on. Harnessing the power oftechnology through integrated systems andprocesses was not the foremost issue; whatmattered more to employers and employeesalike was the pluses and perils of socialmedia in the workplace, the basics of accessto productivity-enabling technology, and theability of all to use the technology-drivenworkplace tools that are common across the

UKs working environment today.

Technology can be a major benefit inovercoming barriers to work for marginalisedconstituencies, commented Colette Lux.Communication is vital in almost every joband written communication underpins many.Yet, for a dyslexic for instance, spelling canbe a huge barrier to getting and keeping ajob. The right technology is an immediatewin for both employer and employee as itcan overcome that barrier immediately. Thefocus has to be on understanding the issues

employees may face and working with themto mitigate perceived problems.

As a widely geographically spreadcompany, we use technology to engage newstarters, said Sarah Grice. Its a supportingtool so for instance, we have an intranetwhere people can look for answers toquestions theyre not confident of raising atteam meetings. We also have lots of onlinee-learning that helps people navigate aroundthe organisation, learn how to do things,

and be clear on what their role is. Essentially,these are tools to build confidence. Theyrenot just for new starters, but they can have abig impact quickly.

Andy Wilson added: The biggest technologychallenge for employers is social media. Itsnot having the control over the messagethat we used to have; control of the imageof our organisation that we project to ourstakeholders. Everybody gains a little of thatcontrol and that tends to make managementuneasy.

Theres a core disconnect between the toolsand techniques that employees want to useand the organisations need for security,

commented Andrew Halley. Its an issue feworganisations have resolved, although if anorganisation can balance the benefit of socialmedia with the security risk, it can become avery potent tool in stakeholder engagementand competitive advantage.

What we must face is that we have ageneration of people coming through theeducation system and coming into workwhose experience of technology is verydifferent from that of previous generations,Julie Mercer stated. They treat technology

very differently and dont separate what theydo in work from their life outside workinghours. The problem is the tendency to usethat technology particularly social mediaplatforms inappropriately. Channelledeffectively, their undoubted skills can makethem tremendous ambassadors for theirbusinesses. Unfortunately, what tends tomake headlines are the photos, jokes, tweetsand emails that they intend to share amongfriends, but that have a horrible tendencyto go viral. These can tarnish corporate

If an organisation can

balance the benefit ofsocial media with the

security risk, itcan become a very

potent tool

There is a disconnectbetween the tools

employees want to use

and the organisationsneed for security

The challenge is toget employees to use

technology appropriately


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Partners:

reputations and lose jobs for otherwisegood people. So, we need to educate peoplein the appropriate use of technology, andbuild up an understanding of workplaceboundaries.

We cant write off the young for their failingsthough, added Paul Deighton. Theyremore adept at using new and existingtechnology more quickly than each precedinggeneration. They can take our businessesfurther much faster if we create an enablingenvironment. This means older workersgiving up some of their cherished beliefs too organisations are dynamic and evolve.

Lets not forget that technology is creating a

whole slew of jobs that never existed before,commented Jim Albert, MD, IT Engineering,Modis. Whod heard of an SEO Administratora few years ago? Technology isnt just abouthelping us to do existing things better; itsabout opening up whole new areas ofopportunity where Gen Y and Gen Z will be atthe forefront. Perhaps their key legacy will beto bring older workers along with them.

One has only to look at organisations suchas Atos to see how technology is evolvingthe way we work. CEO Thierry Breton claims

that his planned ban on internal emails isaimed at enhancing the quality of workingconditions for his 80,000 employees. The banis part of Atos Wellbeing At Work initiative,which has already demonstrated that mostof the firms new joiners hardly used email,preferring instant messaging tools and socialnetworks such as Facebook.

Breton has commented that his employeeswere spending too much time oninternal emails and not enough time on

management. It turned out that Atosemployees received an average of morethan 100 emails per day but only 15% ofthe messages were useful: the rest was losttime. The goal is to replace email with more

appropriate internal tools not reducingcommunication, but enhancing it.

Taking a macro view, Henley BusinessSchools Keiichi Nakata said: Technology isbreaking down the silos of how we work,its enabling us to move away from the fixedworkplace 9-5 culture. This opens up theopportunity to tap into pools of talent whohave been excluded by the office-based,fixed hours ways of working. But it alsochanges the kind of people we need most

in business. Those who not only understandtechnology, but how it can benefit theirorganisation and wider society will be ingreatest demand.

Developing for the futureUnderstanding how to use existingtechnology is one thing: being able to createand develop tomorrows technology that willgive the UKs businesses a competitive edgeis quite a different challenge; and its onewhere the prospects at the moment for theUK are not good.

There was a very significant fall in thenumber of 16 year olds choosing to studyscience, technology, engineering and mathsat A level at the turn of the Millennium,commented Jim Albert, Modis. While thefigures for some subjects, particularly Mathsand Physics, are improving, theyve onlyjust returned to 2002 levels and the genderbalance is still heavily in favour of boys. Partof the issue is that we now have a generationof teachers and careers counsellors who

We now have a

generation of teachersand careers counsellorswho have very limited

exposure to the processindustries

There has been a fall

in those studying STEMsubjects

The UK is fallingbehind through lack ofunderstanding in howto develop tomorrows

technology

Those who not only understandtechnology, but how it can benefit theirorganisation and wider society will be in

greatest demand.Keiichi Nakata,Reader in Social Informatics,Henley Business School

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have very limited exposure to the processindustries, IT, and even the new creativeindustries such as gaming and CGI.

Potential employers cant just wring their

hands and say that the talent isnt comingthrough theyve got to work much moreclosely with those in education to inspire thenext generation to take up the opportunitiesSTE industries offer.

IT in schools does little more than teachpeople how to use Microsoft Office whileComputer Science at university lags yearsbehind the industry, commented AndrewHalley, Director of R&D at Citrix. We need tohave much closer links between education

and industry so that were providing usefulskills to young people who can then hit theground running in the industry. There area number of small local initiatives acrossthe UK but theres no strategic symbioticrelationship benefiting both todaysorganisations and tomorrows IT stars.

Certainly our respondents highlighted someof these initiatives which included:

School-employer partnerships

offering regular student workexperience, workshops andtraining for teachers

Social development enterprises professionalising schooltechnology activities throughindustry involvement

Joint industry/universitycommercial projects

Commercially-designedundergraduate STEM courses.

Employers need to

be more engaged inschools

Schools need to teachmore than how to use

software

We need to have much closer linksbetween education and industry so that

were providing useful skills to youngpeople.Andrew Halley,Director of R&D,Citrix

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Partners:

Case Study:Reverse mentoring at Cisco

Within the UK, Cisco employs more than 3,000 people a strongpresence within a global workforce of over 60,000 in 140 countries

around the globe. Operating at the cutting edge of technology, thecompany also prides itself on its inclusiveness.

That active approach to involving everyone has led to a very openculture within the business where people are encouraged tospeak their mind and push the boundaries. But a few years ago,analysis of the annual staff survey showed that some groups

especially Gen Y felt that the company didnt understand themand that their voice wasnt being heard.

HR Director Charlie Johnston recalls that this was quite a shockfor the company. Clearly something wasnt working. However,rather than agonise over it, I thought the best way Cisco couldrespond would be to bring our younger employees and leadersmuch more closely together. But rather than adopt a traditionalhierarchical mentoring initiative, we decided to take a moreinnovative route and reverse the process.

Initially, we planned a one year small scale programme whereour Gen Y group could mentor a senior executive we set 10

relationships up where executives were paired with someonefrom elsewhere in the business. We got everyone together to setthe ground rules and agree what role HR would play (essentially,designing the framework and facilitating the process). It was achallenge for both sides initially mentoring a 40-something withwide business experience sitting a number of levels above youisnt for the faint hearted; while knowing how to respond to some

honest feedback from a 22 year old isnt easy either. But bothsides soon appreciated the benefits and the scheme has grownand matured from its initial one-year pilot.

Were improving the cross-generational awareness all the time.Our leaders have an increased awareness of how Gen Y think and of course, increasingly, thats many of our customers andhow they adopt and use technology, and choose to send andreceive information. Its a great learning experience for leaderswho come from before the current generation of social medianatives. Equally, our Gen Yers are learning good business habits,and what it takes to be a leader within a major organisation.

One Gen Y mentor concluded: Before I joined the scheme, I hada view of what an executive cared about. It couldnt have beenfurther from the truth. The reality is that they were keen to learnnew techniques and to understand how we use the tools in our

own social networks to get into our minds learning to adapt tothe needs of the younger people in their operations. I was reallyimpressed by how much my mentee was willing to listen andthis really broke down the boundaries between us. Ive learnt a lotand been inspired by the willingness of the company to try newapproaches to develop our executive leaders capabilities.

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37The importance of employee engagement | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

The importanceof employeeengagementSummarising the challenges

Few organisations truly know what it has done for their workforce tobe engaged

Engagement should be led from the top and driven by values andbehaviour

Its cultural - not a series of transactional tasks

Engagement flourishes where the culture is based on honesty andmutual respect

This isnt a nice to have - its crucial to bottom-line success.


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38 Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012| The importance of employee engagement www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

An initiative from:


The one aspect of employment that united allrespondents was employee engagement. Anengaged workforce is seen as the key meansto unlock Britains potential. The one issuethough is that no-one can quite agree on

what engagement actually is.

Nita Clarke, co-author of the GovernmentsMacLeod Report Engaging for Success,noted: Weve yet to reach a definitiveconsensus on what engagement actuallyis. Organisations are still battling onwhether people are part of the problem, orthe solution to their problems. People arebeginning to recognise that engagement isa core element of business culture and isdriven by the attitude of the organisation.

But our current Taskforce work suggests thatdifferent organisations are approaching whatthis means and how to create an engagedworkforce in many different ways.

Both our roundtable and survey responsessuggested that many organisations stillregard engagement as a task that isdelivered through transactional process bythe HR or Communications functions or acombination of both under the directionof the Board. Its measured by an annualsurvey and rarely reaches a level deemed

to be successful. Yet the approach of thoseorganisations where the workforce isregarded as engaged appears much moreholistic than transactional.

Its all pervasive, Nita continued. It isexplicitly led from the top and is values andbehaviour-driven. Engagement is owned byeveryone in the organisation and understoodby all. Its not a nice to have, but a keyaspect of productivity which infuses every

aspect of the way the organisation doesbusiness, from attraction through recruitmentto development and retention. We seethose same four components recurring timeand again belonging, support, voice and

trust that all combine to unlock the kind ofdiscretionary effort within teams that reallydoes deliver competitive advantage.

One way that weve made engagementless nebulous is by focusing on advocacy,explained Laura Brockman from the LloydsBanking Group. Levels of engagementmeasured by surveys tend to track theperformance of the business and theshare price. Advocacy levels are quitedifferent. When you ask people would they

recommend their organisation to others asa great place to work, it tends to unlock howthey really feel about things.

Many of our respondents had views onthe challenges involved in building anengagement culture in todays organisations.The biggest issue is creating the seniormanagement time to talk and listen,acknowledged Ian Dewar. We see our bestemployees as those who are prepared tolisten, work as part of a team, and really carepassionately about what they do. We have to

mirror that at the top of the organisation. Thepassion and intent are definitely there whatmakes the difference is creating the space tokeep on sharing the vision, making it real andbeing open to listen to what your colleaguesare telling you.

Ben Willmott, Senior Public Policy Advisor,CIPD championed the role of line managers:Leaders have to create organisationalcultures where management styles based on

This is no single

definition of whatengagement actually is

Engagement needs tobe owned by everyone

Measuring advocacy

can unlock how peoplereally feel


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39The importance of employee engagement | Unlocking Britains Potential | Repor t 2012www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk

Partners:

Engagement is a core part of everything we do: its part ofour DNA, explained Director of Colleague Engagement, JackiConnor. For us, it starts before a colleague even joins thebusiness. Its about attracting people who get our values and

who support and identify with our way of working. Then, whencolleagues first join us, we dont start them straight on the shopfloor, but get them involved in the Sainsburys story throughtheir induction, so that they can start living our values right fromday one.

Engagement for us isnt tactical: its not about engagementmonth or communication week; its cultural. It starts withleadership, listening to colleagues and acting on whattheyve heard.

Engagement doesnt just happen in any organisation it has tobe led and our leadership team recognise and value the fact that

the bottom line will be boosted if colleagues understand what thebusiness is trying to achieve and feel that they can play a fullpart in making it happen.

We simply dont regard engagement as a process or task. Itsall encompassing here: its about creating the right learning anddevelopment opportunities; supporting colleagues and beingopen and honest in the way we operate and communicate. Itsmaking sure we all feel part of the same team. We all have namebadges; mine simply says Jacki and our CEOs says Justin andnone of our managers wear jackets on the shop floor.

We have an engagement team that provides communicationand feedback mechanisms such as Tell Justin and our LOVErecognition programme to support our Great Place to Workprogramme. But our line managers play the prime role in

keeping colleagues engaged and involved. We provide them withregular updates to share with their teams, but theyre responsiblefor the delivery. Each day theyll hold a huddle with their teamsso that open, shared communication simply becomes part of thenormal daily routine. We recognise that they have a challengingrole and not all managers start as great communicators, so wework with them to give them the skills and confidence they needto succeed.

We do use formal tools too, with quarterly engagement surveysand monthly pulse surveys to check on our progress and providecolleagues with routes so they can raise the issues that matterto them. For us, listening is the key to engagement and then

acting effectively on what weve heard.

Case Study:Engagement at Sainsburys

Having an engaged workforce is nothing new for Sainsburys.Creating a place where people love to work and shop has

effectively been the mission of the business for over 140 years.For today, Sainsburys engagement is simply woven throughoutthe culture. It starts at the top and underpins every aspect of therhythm and routine of the business.

Leaders have to create organisationalcultures where management stylesbased on honesty and mutual respect

flourish.Ben Willmott,Senior Public Policy Advisor,CIPD


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An initiative from:


Line management

capability is key

Short termism is thebiggest barrier to

engagement

Leaders need to createan environment where

people want to stay

honesty and mutual respect flourish. But thisreally has to take root at line managementlevel. Line management capability is critical.What decides whether a person will go theextra mile for the organisation is how theyre

managed day-to-day.

I agree with Ben. We have specificprogrammes in place to build great linemanagers as we see them as absolutelypivotal to engagement, added Sarah Grice.However complex an issue can be, a greatmanager can cut through it to what reallymatters to their team. They can translate itand make it meaningful and sensible.

Id say the biggest barrier we face to

engagement is short-termism, remarkedAndy Wilson. Many organisations espousetheir fairness, their work:life balance and theiropportunities for flexible working, and thenundercut all the stuff that sounds positive witha total focus on this months bottom line hitting short term targets, meeting short termplans. You cant talk the engagement gamewhen the reality is very different.

Organisations that think long-term are farmore likely to think about the way that theculture needs to develop; the way they aregoing to motivate their workers to want tostay with them.

Julie Mercer said: For me it comes downto leadership recognising that they needto make their organisation a great placeto work. It means creating an environmentwhich attracts great people and offers themsomething that makes them want to stay,rather than simply see it as a stepping-stoneto another role. That environment needsto be underpinned by a vision that isnt thepursuit of the bottom line at all costs, butactually recognises that employees have

to buy into what youre all about in order tocontribute to a greater potential within theorganisation.

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Partners:

Case Study:Inspiring engagement at Aviva

An engaged workforce doesnt just happen: engagement has tobe nurtured and continually revisited. Organisations must listenand act on what they hear.

Leading insurer Aviva has a suite of tools to ensure it listens andresponds appropriately. Chief among them is a

Adecco Whitepaper Unlocking Peoples Potential 2012

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