New group to create thriving workplaces

A new group which aims to create thriving workplaces through employee engagement is to be launched with support from Nottingham Business School (NBS) at Nottingham Trent University.

Employees are casually dressed, walking, chatting and working in an office

The group will support organisations in creating a positive and productive workforce in the region

The Engage for Success East Midlands Regional Group is being led by Dr Sarah Pass, a senior lecturer in Human Resource Management at NBS, in response to interest from companies in the region wishing to create and nurture a positive and productive workforce, particularly during a time of economic uncertainty.

The group is part of the national, not-for-profit Engage for Success movement, which began after an independent report for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills – known as the MacLeod Review - demonstrated the links between employee engagement and increased organisational performance and productivity.

Sarah, who volunteers for Engage for Success, said: “Workplaces thrive on the energy and ideas of the people who work there. For them to give their best every day, they need to be happy in their employment and committed to the values and goals of their employer.

“Given the connection between employee engagement and productivity, issues of low productivity in the East Midlands, and the current post-referendum climate, it has become clear that there are many organisations in the region are wanting to focus on ways to help motivate and engage their people whilst also looking after their well-being. It is an issue affecting every organisation. The focus of the group is to provide a space and opportunity for organisations to come together.

“A series of events will take place throughout the year and the topics will be driven by the interests of the group and what is really useful to them, such as line manager engagement, how SMEs can motivate colleagues without the budget for big rewards, and ‘wicked’ thinking.

“We’ll be looking at problems and solutions in an interactive and beneficial way and we hope that people will share what works, and what hasn’t worked, and learn from each other.”

The official launch of the group is on Tuesday 27 November at Nottingham Conference Centre with talks from David MacLeod, the founder of Engage for Success and co-author of the MacLeod Review; Faran Johnson, managing director of Engage for Success; and Rory Campbell, John Lewis Management Board. There will also be presentations from regional organisations.

For further information on the group or to book a place at the launch event email Sarah Pass or visit Eventbrite

Notes for editors

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Nottingham Business School

Nottingham Business School is internationally recognised as a business school which combines academic excellence with impact on business and society and is considered amongst the top 5% of the world’s business schools.
NBS is also amongst the top 30 UK schools by ranking according to Guardian University League Tables 2018, and amongst the top 20 for both graduate level employability (DLHE) and for student satisfaction (NSS) and as part of NTU holds the TEF Gold award. NTU has also been named as Modern University of the Year 2018 by The Times and Sunday Times.
NBS has been nominated for the Business School of the Year award in the Times Higher Education Awards 2018.
It holds international AASCB and EPAS accreditation, and has held 4* overall QS Stars rating since 2013, with 5* in five categories for the quality of its curriculum, teaching, research, business connectivity and international links.
Its MSc in Management has been ranked by the Financial Times as the 97^th best Master in Management in the world (MiM).
NBS courses are also accredited by all relevant chartered professional bodies.

NBS is the leading business school in Europe for personalised and experiential learning. Each and every one of its 5,500 students has their learning experience increasingly tailored to their aspirations through the use of academic and industry mentors, analytics, and a comprehensive range of personal development and experiential learning opportunities.

A leader in integrating experiential learning into the fabric of all courses at all levels, NBS’ pioneering in-company degrees benefit some 200 students through direct sponsorship by blue-chip companies.