Employee engagement is not a concept reserved for the private sector. After all, we rely on people to fulfil our business service offerings whether we are in the private sector, public or even the voluntary (and having just delivered a two day course as a Prince’s Trust volunteer, I know the latter to be true!).
It is interesting to note how engagement is gradually creeping up the public sector agenda though. With forecasts of up to 750,000 public sector job losses over the next four years (source: CIPD), there are growing concerns about the engagement levels of the staff left behind, when they are asked to step into absent colleagues’ boots and deliver as much, if not more, with more limited resources.
Engagement basics - clear and honest communication; a strong sense of vision and purpose; strong leaders and managers – are essential to ensure empowered and productive people, as we move through a period of significant change in all sectors.
But the impact of job reductions in the public sector has a second, less frequently considered, consequence. How will the influx of highly paid public sector candidates into the job market affect recruitment and job prospects for existing candidates and employers alike? Recruitment companies will need to manage their new, more diverse talent pool. Employers will need to consider a broader range of potential candidates, maybe with transferable skills from different sectors.
With budgets slashed and the recession still biting at our ankles, a holistic engagement plan at the recruitment stage will have to be a major consideration for the employer and the employee alike to ensure the best possible outcome for all parties. Not sure how to manage that? Then get in touch and let us help you…
