I have always been fascinated by those seemingly inconsequential moments that have the potential to dramatically alter our future – the ‘sliding door moments’ of our lives. One such moment happened to me about 15 years ago, just after I had founded People Lab.
I was attending a CIPD conference and, as is my habit, I made my way to the front and found a seat. I prefer sitting near the front for a couple of reasons: my poor eyesight means I see very little from the back, and being at the front helps me stay focused on the event.
As usual at these conferences, I struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to me. He introduced himself as a speaker at the event, looking to gain support for a new initiative called Engage For Success. This initiative was born from a government request to explore whether focusing on employee engagement could help the UK emerge from the recession. I shared some recent research I had done on the employee engagement profession with him, and he asked me to send it to him for review.
That man was David MacLeod, and he not only reviewed my research but included it in the first report to government on the topic. This marked the beginning of my involvement with Engage for Success. In the early years, I was deeply involved in various activities to promote employee engagement.
Recently, I was thrilled to be invited to an Engage for Success symposium event titled ‘Engage to Grow: Transforming the UK Economy through Employee Engagement’. The event was designed to highlight the importance of employee engagement to the incoming government, using recent research from over 3,000 employees to craft a compelling message. Check out the research here!
The symposium was incredibly inspiring. It felt like a new beginning for Engage for Success, with a renewed focus on conveying why employee engagement is crucial and outlining what the new Labour government can do to help increase engagement levels. This, in turn, could unlock the full potential of employees and contribute to the growth of our economy.
I left the event feeling optimistic and excited about the future of Engage for Success. Over the coming weeks, the organisation will be outlining their plans and priorities and highlighting opportunities for people to get involved. If you’re interested in volunteering, you can find out more here:Engage for Success – Get Involved.
I highly recommend getting involved, I have learned so much over the years and made some great friends too! Maybe I’ll see you at an Engage for Success event soon?
@Emma
