Essentials Series #09-2 - 3rd March 2009

Managing and Measuring Engagement

David Richardson and John Williamson

Many organisations "do" employee engagement surveys because HR thinks it is the right thing to do or because they think they ought to.

But what happens with the data that is delivered back to the organisation after the survey is completed? Is it used to inform executive leadership around cultural / strategic change, or handed to line managers to action - both or neither? Do the people who completed the survey just hear the results, or are they truly engaged in making real improvements - both or neither? Are managers looking for results that tell them everything's working fine, or are they looking for nuggets of learning or a platform for change?

In this Essential session David Richardson, formerly People Insight Director at Tesco and his colleague John Williamson - both experts in this field - looked at the questions which need to be asked before starting an Engagement Survey. They outlined some of the pitfalls encountered by organisations and showed how to turn this valuable data source into insight and learning that can help to prioritise investment in the people agenda.

The Speakers

David Richardson

David is an experienced HR professional with over 20 years working within Financial Services, Retail, FMCG and Automotive industries across Europe and Asia. David founded InnerVision in 2006 and operates at board and senior executive level and specialises in Human Resource Strategy, Human Capital Management and HR Capability building projects. His corporate career spanned over 20 years and included senior roles at Lloyds TSB where he was HR Director of the Retail Bank, Tesco where he was Group People Insight Director and Coca-Cola Enterprises where he was HR Director for the Europe Group. David has a Postgraduate Diploma in HR Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered institute of Personnel & Development.

John Williamson

John founded Learnership Ltd in 2000; he has a Masters Degree in Leadership (2000), and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel &
Development. John is highly experienced in developing cultural assessments and surveys in close conjunction with PLCs and Executive/Board teams. He is a qualified banker, and spent over 25 years in line and HR roles within the Financial Services sector.

John has spoken at two UK CIPD conferences, and internationally, on relevant topics. His personal experience is banking and HR/Learning led, with close involvement in retail, manufacturing, and international sectors developed in recent years.

This event took place at One Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE.