Tags

On 15 November 2011 Tomorrow's Company launched the first report in a programme on employee voice being undertaken in partnership with the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA). The report ‘Rethinking voice – for sustainable business success’ describes how employee voice is critical for the future of UK plc. Employee voice involves a two-way communication and an honest and trusting relationship between the organisation and its staff. Other project partners include BAE Systems, British Gas, HSBC, IAC Group, Thomson and Unipart, who enrich the report with their own experiences and challenges of voice.  Finally it sets out a framework that pulls together the factors that we think impact on the quality and effectiveness of employee voice in organisations.

Companies are responding to global competition and economic volatility by seeking to be more responsive while lowering costs. This often involves down-sizing and out-sourcing: The very things that tend to destroy the trust of employees. At the same time, workers say they want more flexibility, yet this is often perceived by business as a threat to performance. Could there be a way to reconcile these two apparently opposing forces and transform the debate on flexible working and business performance? Workplace experts Career Innovation facilitated an 18-month ‘Agile Resourcing’ programme with some of the world's most respected employers: Boeing, BT, Marriott, Nokia, Pfizer, PwC, UBS and Oxfam. The resulting ‘Manifesto’ provides principles and examples to help create tomorrow's most agile workplaces. www.CiManifesto.com.

This report presents full analysis of the research ?ndings. It includes results from a UK-  wide survey of 1,500 managers and ten case studies based on interviews conducted among a range of organisations in different sectors. It also provides key conclusions and recommendations, drawn from the research, to help individual managers and organisations adapt to the challenges they face. This research has been led by the Chartered Management Institute in partnership with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the UK Business Council  for Sustainable Energy, supported by EDF Energy and the Association of Chief Police Of?cers, Cymru. The Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey was the research partner. 

Developed in conjunction with the Talent & Enterprise Taskforce, this paper situates the content of the report on global trends in the context of the UK. With contributions from Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT; Lucy Parker, Chair of the Taskforce, and insights from the Global Fellows, the paper is intended to shape and inform the understanding of key players in this country about the the talent challenge for the UK.