New Government guidance showcases HansenGlass’ success in building business performance through effective employee engagement.

Local business HansenGlass has been highlighted as a leading employer by a Government campaign to promote more effective employee engagement.

HansenGlass is featured in new guidance launched today (23 March 2010) by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The practical guidance – published on www.businesslink.gov.uk/employeengagement – will help employers improve the way they engage their employees. It has been developed with input from a range of business leaders, employers and employee engagement practitioners.

The new guidance highlights how, by engaging its employees more effectively, HansenGlass has transformed itself from a traditional brownfield company into a modern manufacturing enterprise. Better communication and creation of a more democratic ‘win together, lose’ together’ ethos has helped the business to weather the tough economic by improving productivity and customer service. The glass processor employs 75 people and is based in Kirkby, Liverpool. Ian Whalley, MD of HansenGlass said, ”We seek participation from everyone and we’re keen that everyone understands the part they need to play in the business. As a result we’ve gone from a loss making business to a profitable business with a massive improvement in productivity.”

Evidence shows that effective employee engagement is a route to business success and is a very practical way of strengthening business productivity, innovation, competitiveness, attendance rate and voluntary turnover.

David MacLeod, employee engagement adviser to BIS, said:
'The body of research on engagement is compelling: it shows how engaged employees are far more committed and productive than disengaged ones. With Britain emerging from one of the toughest economic periods in living history, it is now more important than ever that organisations realise the full potential of their people.

'HansenGlass is a fantastic example of how effective employee engagement can deliver business success. The new, practical guidance now available on Business Link will help other employers to follow the lead of this local firm and reap the benefits for them and their people.'

Employers can access the guidance at www.businesslink.gov.uk/employeeengagement. The package of material contains:
• Four guides on different aspects of employee engagement, ranging from an overview of engagement and its benefits to guidance on how to become an engaging manager
• Written and video case studies on exemplars of good practice for each of the guidance topics
• Downloadable tools and templates that employers can use to put principles into practice
• Video testimonies from business leaders on the benefits of employee engagement