Employee engagement ‘can make staff go the extra mile’

Positive levels of employee engagement can help to motivate staff and encourage them to go beyond the call of duty in order to help the firm.

A new study released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has suggested that more hands-on managers tend to get better productivity from their workers.

Senior public policy adviser at the organisation Ben Willmott believes the results are unsurprising, but reiterated that such common sense can go a long way to improving a work environment.

"Our findings shine a light on what managers can really do on a day-to-day basis to ensure employees will go the extra mile," he remarked.

Willmott also highlighted the importance of employee engagement during tough economic times, as many firms are forced to cut back on flexible benefits perks.

This comes after a uSwitch study suggested that 56 per cent of UK workers are facing a pay freeze in 2011, despite fluctuations in VAT, inflation and other living costs.

Managers that provide guidance, feedback and the appropriate level of empowerment are "key", CIPD research found. Ben Willmott adds: "The central role of managers in boosting individual and organisational performance is well recognised.

Amid job cuts, pay freezes and smaller budgets, how a manager deals with staff is even more important, he added. Research by Accenture found that worldwide, more than half of female business professionals - and a similar number of male counterparts - suffer from a lack of motivation.