SKILLS UTILISATION COMMUNICATIONS ACTION PLAN1
Introduction
1.
The Skills Utilisation Leadership Group charged us - the Skills Utilisation
Action Group - with examining how to increase the numbers of employers in the
private, public and third sectors in Scotland who engage in activities to improve the
effective use of skills in the workplace. Among other things, we were invited to
consider the audiences the Leadership Group should be seeking to influence and
how those audiences are segmented, addressing barriers to understanding among
the different groups and any constraints under which they are operating. We were
specifically asked to prepare a draft communications action plan.
2.
An effective communications plan is in our view pivotal to encouraging
employer engagement in effective skills utilisation.
3.
This plan accompanies our report Reaping the Benefits, which outlines the
actions we will take and makes recommendations to the Leadership Group on further
specific actions that should, in our collective view, be taken, to encourage employer
engagement in skills utilisation.
Purpose of Plan
4.
The purpose of this plan is to influence those who influence organisations, so
that they can begin to increase awareness of the relevance and benefits of skills
utilisation to organisations and of the range of workplace practices that may improve
skills utilisation in their workplace.
Scope
5.
To overcome barriers to understanding, we suggest the Leadership Group
communicate with those who influence employers rather than directly with the
generality of employers. Influencing organisations, such as business representatives
organisations and Sector Skills Councils, know how best to communicate with their
audiences and are better placed to engage with employers in their own ‘language’.
6.
We believe that this plan will provide a framework for communications with
employers either with a latent interest (i.e. those that don’t know where to start) or
with a known interest but want further information about how to implement effective
skills utilisation strategies.
7.
In communicating with employers with a latent interest, the key issue is to
increase understanding of skills utilisation issues in the context of organisational
need and of the benefits of better workplace practices. We do not consider that
communications with employers about skills utilisation in isolation would be
particularly productive. We also suggest the term ‘skills utilisation’ itself should be
1
This plan includes some revisions to the core messages and key messages to employees made by
the Skills Utilisation Leadership Group after it was submitted to them by the Skills Utilisation Action
Group. The plan, including the recommendations of the Action Group, has been approved by the
Skills Utilisation Leadership Group
1
avoided as it is not in common usage. To overcome barriers to understanding, we
recommend that in communicating with the generality of employers, skills
utilisation messages are explicit but also integrated with other messages
about organisational/business development.
8.
In communicating with the interested, the key issue is to provide fairly specific
information, advice and guidance on how to implement effective skills strategies in
their type of workplace, including signposting the availability of relevant
organisational development support services.
9.
We also consider that availability of such information, advice and guidance
would also make it easier to engage with employers with a latent interest in effective
skills utilisation in the first place.
‘Best Strategies’ Project
10.
This plan includes the dissemination of the findings of the ‘best strategies’
project, which involves research which is being undertaken by Scottish Enterprise
and Skills Development Scotland to develop evidence based messages on workable
skills utilisation techniques for appropriate audiences (phase one) and to investigate
the link between skills utilisation and productivity (phase two). The research project
will be informed by, among other things, in-depth employer case studies that are
being collected as the skills utilisation project being undertaken by the UK
Commission for Employment and Skills. The case studies should be available in
summer 2009.
11.
The plan also includes the dissemination, when available, of more developed
sector-specific advice on what organisational strategies for skills utilisation work best
in particular circumstances and the benefits of such strategies.
Understanding Skills Utilisation
12.
We recognise that the Government Economic Strategy2 and the skills
strategy3 redefined the parameters of the debate on skills. Previous skills agendas
focussed only on the supply of skills. The Scottish Government’s strategies
recognise that skills have to be considered in a much broader context. Ensuring a
quality lifelong learning system is clearly important, but this has to be matched by
efforts to stimulate demand for skills and to foster workplace environments that
support their effective use.
13.
Drawing largely on the Leadership Group’s vision statement, we found the
diagram at Annex A helpful in describing the policy framework for skills in the
workplace, and where the effective deployment of skills sits within it. The vision
statement alongside the diagram may help set skills in its broader context for policy
makers, stakeholders and practitioners. We have also developed a more basic
diagram (Annex B), which may be useful more widely.
2
3
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/11/12115041/0
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/skills-strategy
2
14.
Effective skills utilisation came to the fore as a policy imperative for Scotland
because it was recognised the nation’s relatively good record on skills qualifications
has not translated as well as it could into enhanced economic performance. While
that is undoubtedly true, we need to be careful not to pin too much on this national
disconnect between skills qualifications and productivity. While information at a
sectoral level is not available4 we are fairly confident that this disconnect will not
exist in every sector. It certainly won’t in every organisation. We do not consider
that this at all blunts the message that organisations will generally benefit from
striving for continuous improvement in supporting and developing staff to use their
skills effectively.
Integrated Messages
15.
More ambitious and productive organisations in Scotland will create greater
demand for skills, some of which may be met through better deployment of existing
skills. That said, it is not inevitable that organisations will see their skills advantage
coming in part through more effective skills use. Organisations need to be aware of
the potential role that more effective skills deployment can make to their skills needs.
Otherwise organisations may create greater demand for skills and think of nothing of
meeting that demand through the ‘usual channels’ – in other words simply turn to
more acquisition and development without recognising the difference that better
workplace practices could make to them. That is why Scottish Enterprise, Highlands
and Islands Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland when they engage with
firms across the range of their services will integrate messages about effective skills
utilisation with messages about business development and skills acquisition and
development, differentiated where appropriate to reflect market positioning,
geography and size of organisation and taking into account equality issues.
Approach
16.
We propose an approach which identifies key influencers who will be conduits
for communications. We have identified different influencing organisations for:
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17.
cross-sectoral organisations;
private sector organisations;
public sector organisations; and
third sector organisations.
An overview of the approach is at Annex C.
18.
At the outset, communications would involve general awareness raising. As
more information about which skills utilisation strategies might best work in particular
circumstances becomes available, and as we learn more about what messages and
approaches best motivate employers and employees, the messages and
approaches will evolve. This is very much the start of an on-going long-term process
that will require organisations to test approaches and messages and learn from each
other about what works and when.
4
We understand that the Scottish Government is looking to gather additional information which will
enhance our evidence base on productivity, including sectoral information.
3
Taking a Sectoral Approach
19.
The Leadership Group invited us to take a sectoral approach. We know from
the Skills Utilisation Literature Review5 that there is no one-size-fits-all model to
improving skills utilisation in the workplace. There is a range of actions that
employers can take to facilitate the better use of skills and overcome barriers that
hinder their full and creative use. However, the evidence as to which are the most
effective in given circumstances such as organisational size, sector or market
positioning is far from complete. The need to take a sectoral approach was reenforced to us by the preliminary findings of report in to product market strategies
and skills, which suggested that not only may there be systemic differences between
sectors in the demand for skill, but also in management practices that are used to
utilise those skills6.
20.
We outline in our Reaping the Benefits report that we envisage a role for
sector lead organisations to communicate integrated messages about skills
utilisation to employers in their sectors7. Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands
Enterprise Skills Development Scotland and the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
would have specific responsibility for the communication of cross-sectoral issues,
such as the use of ICT systems and other technologies and common issues affecting
small and medium-sized enterprises.
21.
Our report also recommends the establishment of a skills utilisation crosssectoral communications and learning network. The role of the network would
include helping:
key delivery agencies and other stakeholders exchange information and
learn from each other about how best to communicate about skills utilisation,
both in terms of the messages and the best forms of delivery of those
messages; and
 share knowledge and experience across sectors and to help identify those
working practices that have wider effective application beyond a particular
sector.

NHS EDUCATION FOR SCOTLAND (NES): ENCOURAGING EMPLOYER INTEREST IN
EFFECTIVE SKILLS UTILISATION
NES, as a national organisation, has well established processes for liaising with the territorial health
boards across Scotland - the main employers. The process enables a dialogue and that include skills
utilisation. The process has direct influence on the core work within NES and results in workstreams
directly linked to skills utilisation.
NES has established and hosts the national strategic alliance committee which brings together the
main employers in the NHS in Scotland as well as education providers. Skills utilisation has been
addressed within this forum.
5
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/15114643/0
The report Product Market Strategies and Workforce Skills has since been published
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/22085911/0
7 The sectors are: creative industries, energy, financial and business service, food and drink, life
sciences, tourism, construction, universities, local government, health and third sector.
6
4
NES has also established a number of demonstrator projects that can serve as exemplars for skills
utilisation. In the area of Knowledge Services, NES has established, in the context of demonstrator
projects, new roles linked to information literacy where individuals have been trained and developed
to be able to provide health related information in the community setting.
Web Portal
22.
The Scottish Government will develop a web portal in June 2009 that will
signpost where employers can go for advice about better workplace practices to
support effective skills utilisation.
Timeline
23.
The proposed timeline is:
June 2009
June 2009 onwards
Summer 2009
September 2009
January 2010
May 2010 onwards
Development of Scottish Government web portal
General awareness raising
Dissemination of UK Commission case studies
Establishment of cross-sectoral network
Dissemination of research findings (phase one)8
Dissemination by sector leads of sector-specific advice
Financial implications
24.
While we do not consider that initial communications would have any
significant initial cost implications, any future funding requirements would depend on
how the plan develops.
Evaluation
25.
We recommend that the cross-sectoral network evaluates the success
of the communications action plan and reports regularly to the Leadership
Group.
8
The timeline for phase two of the research has still to be determined.
5
CORE MESSAGES
While investing in skills is vitally important, on its own it is not enough.
Organisational performance and productivity is driven by the effective use of skills.
Many organisations have an untapped resource– the underused skills of their
workforce.

By improving how the existing skills of the workforce are deployed, organisations
will be much better placed to weather the economic downturn and to take advantage
of future opportunities.

It is an issue that is also important beyond the current economic situation. A low
growth economy is a concern for each and every one of us because it will
dramatically affect the way we will live in the future. It affects our job opportunities,
our incomes and the aspirations of our people. Making the best use of skills and our
people is of fundamental importance in driving the high skill, high productivity
workplaces that we seek.

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Effective skills utilisation is about:

confident, motivated and relevantly skilled individuals who are aware of the
skills they possess and know how to best use them in the workplace
working in

workplaces that provide meaningful and appropriate encouragement,
opportunity and support for employees to use their skills effectively
in order to

increase performance and productivity, improve job satisfaction and employee
well-being, and stimulate investment, enterprise and innovation.
With the right encouragement, support, (and in some circumstances, additional
training), staff may be able to use their skills more effectively.

The main enablers of better workplace practices are leadership and management
and employee trust and motivation. Equality issues are also an integral feature.
Employers and employees (and their representatives) need to work in partnership to
deliver sustainable meaningful change.

The impact of new skills training can be maximised if off-the-job training is
effectively managed to ensure that what is learned is actually transferred to the
workplace.

The ambitions for effective skills utilisation are set out in Annex B.
Summarised evidence of the benefits of better working practices is at Annex D.
Examples of better working practices are outlined in Annex E.
6
CONDUITS
Delivery Agents
Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Skills Development
Scotland will deliver integrated skills utilisation messages to their groups and clients.
The Scottish Funding Council will deliver integrated skills utilisation messages to
colleges and universities, both in terms of their role as learning providers and as
employers.
Cross-Sectoral Organisations
We have identified three main conduits for cross-sectoral skills utilisation messages.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development will deliver messages to
professional/awarding bodies about the importance of integrating skills utilisation
issues in to the delivery of leadership and management learning and teaching.
The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils will deliver messages to Sector Skills
Councils inviting them to consider ways in which skills utilisation can be more
effectively promoted as part of their work. Sector Skills Councils will deliver
integrated skills utilisation messages to employers and to organisations with an
interest or role in the provision of information, advice and guidance in their relevant
sectors9.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress will deliver messages to affiliated unions and
the Trade Union Learning Network. The Scottish Union Learning Team will consider
ways in which skills utilisation can be more effectively promoted as part of its work.
Key messages to employees about effective skills utilisation include:

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more rewarding jobs;
increased job satisfaction/contribution/motivation;
more aware of own abilities;
can be easier to solve problems;
potentially better career opportunities and increased job security;
better working environment;
more autonomy; and
unlocking your potential.
9
The mapping of the organisations in Scotland with a potential interest/role in the provision of
information, advice and guidance, which was undertaken by Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
(Scotland) at our request, can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/skillsstrategy/making-skillswork/utilisation/ActionGroup/ActionGroupMeetings/Q/editmode/on/forceupdate/on
7
Private Sector
Channels of Communication
We have identified three primary channels of communication:
1. business representative organisations for general communication;
2. sector lead organisations10; and
3. private sector leaders to explore approaches.
Messages
In order to overcome barriers to understanding, we strongly suggest that influencing
organisations integrate skills utilisation messages with other messages about
business development. We do consider that communications with employers about
skills utilisation in isolation would be productive. The specific skills utilisation
messages we suggest that they stress to employers are:
effective workplaces can make you more productive – is about unlocking
the firm’s potential;
 effective workplace practices can help you become more efficient. Think
about your bottom line - more profit;
 better working practices can help retain and recruit staff; and
 you can maximise the impact of your skills investment by creating a
workplace environment that supports the effective use of those skills.

Business representative organisations
The Institute of Directors will deliver messages to business representative
organisations to:
raise awareness of skills utilisation through an integrated approach to
business development;
 consider highlighting effective skills utilisation through Business Awards;
and
 help signpost assistance to the web portal.

Sector lead organisations
Sector lead organisations would communicate integrated messages about skills
utilisation to employers in their sectors (differentiated where appropriate to reflect
market positioning, geography and size of organisation and taking into account
equalities issues).
10
This communication channel is for the following sectors: creative industries, energy, financial and
business service, food and drink, life sciences, tourism and construction.
8
Private sector leaders
The Leadership Group highlighted “supply chain procurement practices of Scotland's
biggest industries” as an example of a means that could drive demand for skills
utilisation.
By improving how the existing skills of the workforce are used, organisations will be
much better placed to weather the economic downturn and plan for recovery. We
recognise that in the current economic situation it would be difficult to encourage
industries to use their supply chain practices to require suppliers to deliver effective
skills utilisation. However, we believe there may well be opportunities for large
companies to promote skills utilisation messages.
This is a novel approach and we suggest that we explore what approaches might be
effective. We therefore propose as a starting point that two private sector leader
organisations (both of which are represented on the Skills Utilisation Leadership
Group) promote skills utilisation messages through their networks. Lessons would
be learned by looking at the different practices used by them and identifying what
worked and what didn’t to inform future communication strategies involving the
networks of other large companies.
Microsoft will disseminate messages about effective skills utilisation to members of
its partner network and signpost assistance.
BT Scotland will disseminate messages about effective skills utilisation to its
business customers and signpost assistance.
Microsoft and BT Scotland will work together to ensure that lessons are learned from
the different practices used by them to promote messages about skills utilisation.
9
Public Sector
Channels of Communication
We have identified three primary channels of communication:
1. the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) will deliver
messages to local government;
2. NHS Education for Scotland will deliver messages to health bodies; and
3. the Scottish Government will deliver messages to other public bodies.
The specific skills utilisation messages we suggest are stressed are:
the public sector should act as an example of good practice to other
employers;
 effective workplaces can make you more productive and efficient;
 effective workplace practices can help you improve quality and effectiveness;
 a culture of effective skills use can help your organisation respond and
manage change better;
 better working practices help retain and recruit staff; and
 you can maximise the impact of your skills investment by creating a workplace
environment that supports the effective use of those skills.

Local Government
COSLA will invite Scotland’s Councils to:
consider whether, where appropriate, their procurement processes
contribute to effective skills utilisation within their organisations; and
 review Council working practices to ensure that the skills of Council staff
are used effectively.

Health sector
NHS Education for Scotland will:
include skills utilisation in the agenda of liaison meetings with health and
social care employers and educational providers; and
 take the concept of skills utilisation into discussions round national health
and social care priorities and development.

Public sector (other)
The Scottish Government will:
communicate how it and others are leading by example and invite others
to do the same;
 advise public bodies to consider whether, where appropriate, their
procurement processes contribute to effective skills utilisation within their
organisations;

10
recommend that self-evaluation frameworks encompass effective skills
utilisation; and
 recommend to scrutiny bodies that, where appropriate, their frameworks
allow scrutinised bodies to demonstrate that they are delivering effective skills
utilisation.

Third sector
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations will integrate messages about
skills utilisation with its messages to third sector organisations about skills and
workforce development.
11
SECTOR-SPECIFIC AND CROSS-SECTORAL MESSAGES
Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland will disseminate the
findings of research being undertaken into which organisational strategies best work
in particular circumstances. In particular they will communicate:
general, cross-sectoral and sector-specific messages about which
organisational strategies to implement effective skills utilisation best works in
particular circumstances to sector lead organisations.
Sector lead
organisations will be invited to co-ordinate activities with partner organisations
in their sector to develop sector-specific messages further; and

general and cross-sectoral messages to influencing organisations.
Influencing organisations will be invited to disseminate these messages
through their networks.

Sector lead organisations will thereafter communicate sector-specific messages to
organisations in their sector.
Organisations will be advised to integrate messages about skills utilisation with their
wider communications about improving productivity, competiveness and creating
better jobs.
12
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
May 2009 – Scottish Government to announce by News Release the skills utilisation
projects that will be supported by the Scottish Funding Council.
June 2009 - Scottish Government to announce by News Release public sector
commitment to skills utilisation. Also announce agreement of companies and
business sector representative organisations to promote skills utilisation messages.
September 2009 - Scottish Government to announce by News Release the creation
of the cross-sectoral network for skills utilisation.
January 2010 - Scottish Government to announce by News Release findings of first
phase of ‘best strategies’ project, perhaps including 3rd party quotes. Opportunity
for
Government
comment
on
this
issue
in
organisation/company
newsletters/websites etc.
Skills Utilisation Action Group
May 2009
13
ANNEX A
A POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR SKILLS IN THE WORKPLACE
Ambitious and competitive
organisational strategies, e.g.
product and marketing strategies
Knowledge
Knowledge
exchange
exchange
Innovation
SUPPORT
SUPPORT
A cohesive, high
quality lifelong
learning system
centred on the
individual and
responsive to
employer needs
Progressive and innovative
leadership and management
External pressures, e.g.
procurement
Learning and teaching that
Learning and teaching that
enables the effective
enables the effective
application of skills in the
application of skills in the
workplace
workplace
GOALS
OBJECTIVES
Government policies for investment, enterprise, skills and innovation that support the best use of
skills in the workplace through social partnership
Capital investment, including
technological change
BETTER SKILLS
ACQUISITION AND
DEVELOPMENT
GREATER
DEMAND FOR
SKILLS
More confident, motivated and
relevantly skilled individuals
who are aware of the skills
they possess and know how to
best use them in the
workplace
Enables
Enables
better
better
informal
informal
learning
learning
BETTER
WORKPLACE
PRACTICES
More workplaces that
provide meaningful
and appropriate
encouragement,
opportunity and
support for employees
to use their skills
effectively
Increase performance and productivity
Improve job satisfaction and employee well-being
Stimulate investment, enterprise and innovation
GOVERNMENT
PURPOSE
To focus government and public services on creating a more successful country, with
opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth
We live in a Scotland that is the most attractive place for doing business in Europe
We realise our full potential with more and better employment opportunities for our people
We are better educated, more skilled and more successful, renowned for our research and innovation
NATIONAL
OUTCOMES
Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible
citizens
We live longer, healthier lives
Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local people’s needs
14
SUPPORT
SUPPORT
EFFECTIVE SKILLS UTILISATION
AIMS
AMBITIONS FOR SKILLS IN THE WORKPLACE
ANNEX B
Learning and teaching that
Learning and teaching that
enables the effective
enables the effective
application of skills in the
application of skills in the
workplace
workplace
GOALS
BETTER SKILLS
ACQUISITION AND
DEVELOPMENT
OBJECTIVES
More confident, motivated and
relevantly skilled individuals
who are aware of the skills
they possess and know how to
best use them in the
workplace
GREATER
DEMAND FOR
SKILLS
Enables
Enables
better
better
informal
informal
learning
learning
EFFECTIVE SKILLS UTILISATION
AIMS
Increase performance and productivity
Improve job satisfaction and employee well-being
Stimulate investment, enterprise and innovation
15
BETTER
WORKPLACE
PRACTICES
More workplaces that provide
meaningful and appropriate
encouragement, opportunity
and support for employees to
use their skills effectively
ANNEX C
Skills Utilisation Communications
Skills Utilisation Communications
Delivery Agents
Delivery Agents
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise
clinets
clinets
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
clients
clients
Skills Development Scotland
Skills Development Scotland
clients
clients
Cross-sectoral
Cross-sectoral
Professional/awarding bodies
Professional/awarding bodies
Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development
Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development
Institute of Leadership and
Management
Institute of Leadership and
Management
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Investors in People Scotland
Investors in People Scotland
Institute of Directors
Scottish Funding Council
Scottish Funding Council
Institute of Directors
Chartered Management Institute
colleges
Chartered Management Institute
colleges
universities
Sector Skills Councils
Sector Skills Councils
universities
Private sector
Public sector
Private sector
Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
Sector Skills Councils
Sector Skills Councils
Trade Unions
Trade Unions
Scottish Trades Union Congress
Scottish Trades Union Congress
Scottish Union Learning Network
Third sector
Public sector
Business representative
organisations
Business representative
organisations
Institute of Directors
Institute of Directors
CBI Scotland
CBI Scotland
Scottish Chambers of Commerce
Scottish Chambers of Commerce
Scottish Council Development and
Industry
Scottish Council Development and
Industry
Scottish Financial Enterprise
Scottish Financial Enterprise
Federation of Small Businesses in
Scotland
Federation of Small Businesses in
Scotland
Sector leads
Third sector
Local government
Local government
COSLA
COSLA
local authorities
local authorities
Health sector
Business Gateway Services
NHS Education for Scotland
Health sector
health bodies
NHS Education for Scotland
Wider public sector
health bodies
Scottish Government
Wider public sector
other public bodies
Scottish Government
Sector leads
creative industries
creative industries
energy
energy
financial and busines services
financial and busines services
food and drink
food and drink
life sciences
Scottish Union Learning Network
life sciences
tourism
tourism
construction
construction
Private sector leaders
Private sector leaders
Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Partner Network
Microsoft Partner Network
BT Scotland
BT Scotland
BT business customer base
BT business customer base
16
other public bodies
Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations
Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations
ANNEX D
EVIDENCE OF BENEFITS
REPRODUCED FROM AMBITION 2020: WORLD CLASS SKILLS AND JOBS FOR
THE UK, UK COMMISSION FOR EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS, MAY 200911
Overall, organisations that adopt an integrated range of High Performance Working
practices, are likely to perform better,
Patterson et al. (1998) found that almost a fifth of the variance between
productivity and profitability between firms could be attributed to human resource
practices.

Tamkin (2004) found that a 10% increase in business investment in human
resource, training and management practices equated on average to an increase in
gross profits per employee of between £1,083 and £1,568.

Guest (2006) found that those companies that deploy a greater range of human
resource practices can double the profit per employee compared to those
implementing relatively few. Furthermore, they can reduce their labour turnover rates
by half.

Bevan et al. (2004) report that only three human resource practices had a major
impact on productivity; flexible working practices (17% of all organisations), high
training commitment (15%) and improving communication channels between staff
and management (8%).

Becker et al. (2001) found strong support for positive links between the existence
and operation of high performance work systems within firms and financial
performance, in particular shareholder value but more generally employee
productivity. They calculated that a 35% improvement in the quality of strategy
implementation resulted in a similar percentage increase in shareholder value.

11
http://www.ukces.org.uk/PDF/UKCES_FullReport_USB_A2020.pdf
17
ANNEX E
EXAMPLES OF BETTER WORKPLACE PRACTICES
Progressive and innovative leadership and management and employee trust and motivation
are the main enablers of better workplace practices. Employers and employees (and their
representatives) need to work in partnership to deliver sustainable meaningful change.
Employee trust and motivation is about, among other things, affording workers a say in decisionmaking over issues affecting the quality and organisation of the workplace.
Equality issues are an integral feature of providing meaningful and appropriate encouragement,
opportunity and support for employees to use their skills effectively.
Examples of High Performance Working Practices
Category
High involvement
Description
High employee involvement
practices encourage a much
greater level of trust and
communication between employers
and employees through involving
them more in the organisation
Examples
Circulating information on
organisational performance and
strategy
Providing all employees with a copy
of the business plan and target
Internal staff surveys
Staff suggestion schemes
Total Quality Management
Self-managed or self directed
teams
Cross-function teams
Human resources practices
Specifically targeted to create a
greater depth of human capital
investment and skill formation
within the organisation
Annual appraisal
Formal feedback on job
performance form
superiors/employers
Reviewing vacancies in relation to
business strategy
Formal assessment tools for
recruitment
Annual review of employees
training needs
Training to perform multiple jobs
Continuous skill development
Business Excellence Model
Reward and commitment
Practices to facilitate a greater
sense of belonging
and commitment to the
organisation
Performance pay for some
employees
Performance pay for all employees
Profit-sharing for some employees
Profit sharing for all employees
Share options
Flexible job descriptions
Flexible working
Job rotation
Family friendly policies
(Sung and Ashton 2005 cited in CfE (2008) Skills Utilisation Literature Review. Scottish Government.
Edinburgh)
Learning transfer is about maximising the transfer of knowledge and skills acquired through training
to improve job performance. It involves a series of tasks performed by a range of individuals, such as
supervisors, trainers, learners co-workers and sometimes others before during and after a learning
intervention.
Workplace design includes the use of self-managed work teams, multi-skilling, job rotation and the
devolution of decision-making.
Job design that encourages autonomy has the potential to influence an employee’s ‘opportunity to
contribute’ within the workplace. It should provide the scope, challenge and level of responsibility to
enable workers to utilise their skills
ICT systems often dictate job design and discretion in many lower level service sector jobs.
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