The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance Through Staff Satisfaction [Paperback]

Sarah Cook (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0749449446 | ISBN-13: 978-0749449445 | Publication Date: August 28, 2008

Engaged employees are more productive, engender greater customer satisfaction and loyalty, and help promote a company's brand.  The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement provides the tools necessary to make this happen.

 

This book explores the concept and practice behind creating an engaged workforce and how this can contribute to organizational success.  Cook draws on case studies and examples from globally recognized companies to demonstrate how actively engaged employees assist the progress of their organization. She shows managers how to measure the level of their employees' engagement and provides them with strategies to help increase staff participation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An outstanding, practical guide based on real-world experience." -- The Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Sarah Cook is a management development consultant who specializes in helping organizations develop their leadership and employee capability. She previously worked as a marketing manager for Unilever and as Head of Customer Care for a retail management consulting firm. She is the author of three other books published by Kogan Page.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Kogan Page (August 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749449446
• ISBN-13: 978-0749449445
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After graduating from Leiths School of Food and Wine in July 2006, Sarah joined the Good Food team as their cookery assistant. Spending much of her time in the kitchen, her tweaking and re-testing of new ideas helped ensure that every recipe had the perfect outcome for the readers. As cookery writer she regularly contributes her own features to the magazine, as well as working closely with many of Good Food's celebrity chefs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very aptly named, May 5, 2009

By 

Layla Halabi (Dubai - UAE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance Through Staff Satisfaction (Paperback)

Employee Engagement has become a very hot topic for HR professionals and for businesses in general; as a management consultant I find clients are more focused on meauring employee engagement compared to about 5 years ago. However, despite its importance, the topic is not very well understood by a large portion of professionals. In this book, Sarah Cook does an excellent job of introducing the topic in a straightforward and clear manner that leaves very little room for ambiguity or mis-understanding.

The first chapter is probably the best introduction to the topic I encountered with a beautifully constructed model that explains the key elements of engagement in a very structured and logical manner. Beyond the first Chapter, the book becomes a powerhouse with a multitude of examples, case-studies, and useful templates.

In Chapter 4 she introduces the WIFI model: Well-being; Information, Fairness, and Involvement and subsequently devotes a chapter to each with several ideas and suggestions for usage and implementation in different types of organizations and organizational cultures.

I would have given this book 5 stars had the format been a little bit more engaging (no pun intended). I found the black-and white pages somewhat tedious at times and would have enjoyed the excellent content more had the form been as good. Having said, I still recommend this book to others and find myself referring to it again and again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding, practical guide based on real-world experience, December 12, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance Through Staff Satisfaction (Paperback)

Sarah Cook's ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO EMPLOYEE MANAGEMENT explores the foundations of 'employee engagement', considering how a company can work to create a committed workforce, how they can engage staff, and how they can overcome common obstacles. Checklists of common barriers and case history lessons make for an outstanding, practical guide based on real-world experience. Business libraries will find this a winner.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Optimistic text on promoting employee engagement, December 2, 2008

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance Through Staff Satisfaction (Paperback)

Businesses have long recognized the importance of cultivating proud, motivated and loyal employees. In fact, organizations that still operate with the mentality that workers should do their jobs and keep their mouths shut are likely to flounder. These days, the old style of management has largely disappeared - but so has the trust that once existed between employer and employee. Job seekers no longer expect to find lifetime positions within one company. Layoffs and cutbacks in a difficult economic environment have generated fear and suspicion among employees. Companies recognize that their long-term viability depends on finding, retaining and motivating good employees. Although she doesn't break any new ground here, British author Sarah Cook competently explains why every organization should make employee engagement a priority. Cook provides numerous examples of British and American companies that embrace and benefit from employee engagement. getAbstract agrees with her that it's not too late for companies to change their approach. But the clock is ticking for sure.