In a recent Gallup report, the findings show that disengaged employees cost the United States economy $300 billion in lost productivity; estimates indicate that Australia suffers a massive $32billion annual productivity loss.The Gallup Global Survey 2011 results show that only 18% of Australians say that they love their work.

Employee engagement in the workplace is a huge contributing factor to the organisation’s success. It plays a major role in productivity and employee retention.One of Australia’s productivity gurus, Neil Plumridge of Ernst and Young, said that he can predict with almost 100% accuracy his next quarter’s returns through his staff engagement survey.Research into the retail sector by AON Hewitt found that sales people were selling 60% more than disengaged counterparts.

Positive Employee Engagement Breeds Growth

Whether you’re a large enterprise, a medium-sized organisation, or a small business, the rule of thumb for better synergy in the workplace and positive growth is good talent management from bottom up. Boosting the staff’s morale improves working relationships, increases productivity, better customer service and higher employee satisfaction, which will all lead to a more prosperous business. This is what the business advisors at Andrew Castle Consulting hope for their clients across Australia and overseas. They believe that positive employee engagement and effective talent management translate to outstanding output.

Business analyst Andrew Castle, with over 22 years of international practical experience in business consulting, has focussed the firm’s integrated services towards achieving sustainable shifts (changes) and outcomes. As a business advisor, his goal is for the clients to get value-for-moneyconsulting services as they work with or establish partnership with Andrew Castle Consulting. Here are some of the recent and on-going projects he has worked on in Australia and Asia:

• In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

o Project 1

• To consult on Succession Planning/Talent Management

• Key: the role of line managers – to be accountable for the process; not HR who are a support group to coach line managers to be effective in managing their talent

o Project 2

• To work with an Executive team to increase their performance through a strategic review of their forward strategies

• To create a workable, customised action plan to achieve these outcomes

• A continuing program – tobe sustainable through e-coaching with the General Manager and the team

• In Southeast Asia

o Project 1

• To build the leadership capability of a South East Asian organisation across multiple sites

• Programs include Executive Leadership, Advanced Leadership and New Emerging Leaders programs.

• Involves running senior leader workshops on building a community of practice across these levels

• Focuses on coaching/mentoring leadership development and high performance

• In Australia

o Project 1

• To restructure the Strategic Communications function in a large government department

• Focussed on a shift from siloed to 2-way engagement strategies

o Project 2

• To reposition the HR function of a large government department

o Project 3

• To facilitate an Executive IT Team for the 6th consecutive conference focussed on Talent Management in Yering Chateau, Yarra Glen

o Project 4

• To help an International organisation build a coaching culture to increase salesin their call centres

• Key workshops: Coaching skills, Advanced Coaching and Critical Conversations plus interwoven coaching support to build this crucial capability

When the people – everyone in the team – are involved, they find more meaning in what they do. They learn to think, create, plan and implement, resulting in better performance and output.