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Chapter 4: Enablers of Engagement – What has to happen to make engagement work
Case Study
Ministry of Justice
Two years ago the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which includes the Courts Service,
Tribunals and the Prison Service, became the third largest Government department.
Its senior management recognised evidence of the links between employee
engagement and performance and its potential for the newly merged organisation.
At a strategic level it was clear that the MoJ would have to achieve more with less
and that a deeper appreciation of employee engagement across the MoJ could
assist in meeting the required cost savings target of over £1bn within three years.
A project team was formed towards the end of 2007 with an initial focus on
building on existing good practice and raising managers’ understanding of
employee engagement and their roles in ‘making it happen’.
A range of branded leadership development materials and activities, including
a practical engagement toolkit, was quickly produced.
Alongside this, the team established a framework to roll-out an MoJ-wide
employee engagement survey and gain initial ‘stake in the ground’ data.The survey
took place in September 2008 across the organisation’s 80,000 strong population.
The framework was developed to involve and infiltrate all parts and levels of
the organisation. High level business sponsors formed a Steering Group to
achieve ‘executive buy-in’ across the MoJ. A Working Group, representing all
parts of the business, looked at the practical issues such as the composition
of questions, the organisational hierarchy, and who should receive reports.
Employee Engagement Champions helped bring things to life at a local level.
A major internal marketing push, with a branded slogan ‘Start a Chain
Reaction’, was developed and managed not just as a corporate
communications campaign, but actively built on by local champions and
advocates. A 65 per cent survey response rate resulted.
The MoJ’s approach has been recognised as an example of good practice within
the public sector. Its approach and lessons learned are playing a valuable role in
informing the roll-out of the single pan-Whitehall engagement survey being
co-ordinated out of the Cabinet Office for implementation in the final quarter
of 2009. Going forward, the ‘project’ has been absorbed into business as usual
and employee engagement now forms part of the MoJ’s corporate university,
the JusticeAcademy. Already the synergies between learning and engagement
are bearing fruit.
At the time of writing this report, the Ministry is still collating evidence of the
effect of actions implemented on the basis of the survey results.
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