Towers Watson is a global professional services company that does an excellent annual report on employee engagement. Their 2010 edition is available to download here.

I have read it through quickly, and was drawn to the section on “Toward a New Employment Proposition”. They suggest that there are three key issues that must underpin employee engagement in the new world of work.

Drawing on insights from our study, our own consulting experience and the broad economic, social and business trends taking shape globally, we think this new relationship must be grounded in three organizational dimensions:

  • Fostering self-reliance on the part of employees – Enable employees to build their skills, plan for their financial future and live healthy lives — active security versus passive security.
  • Creating greater personalization in how the employment deal is defined and delivered for various segments of the workforce – Segment the workforce, personalize key elements of the deal, and ensure more differentiated investment of financial resources in critical talent.
  • Building more flexibility and agility into the organization’s structure and processes, talent and reward programs, and the HR function itself – Develop leaders, reward structures, HR functions and organizations that are more flexible, adaptable and responsive to an ever-changing global business environment.

There is a lot of detail in the report, and I encourage you to download it. Worth the read!

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