Studies have revealed that as the economic uncertainty continues A larger percentage of of UK workers describe themselves as “unhappy at work”. The survey, by Mercer, showed that over 35% of those surveyed are actually considering leaving their job.

UK workers are significantly less enthusiastic about their jobs than they work before the current economic crisis – Less than two thirds agree that work gives them a feeling of personal accomplishment. In 2007 the figure was 70%

Employee engagement is the key to reversing those figures, comments Chris Johnson, Mercer’s UK head of human capital. He says it’s crucial for organisations to strive to retain their employees – as they are the people who will drive their employer’s success as the economy recovers. It’s a tool that a number of clients of roadshow specialist Event Marketing Solutions are using with great results – taking to the road with EMS to deliver imaginative campaigns that engage, empower and re-energise their workforce.

Technology can play a huge part in this. Simple communiques, newsletters and policy documents will not achieve the same levels of engagement as a fully integrated, tangible strategy. Put simply the same principals that outline marketing to the public should be employed with internal communication. You are in effect selling your idea to the workforce.

Interective presentations, multimedia and video-conferencing can all be employed but there is no substitute for getting out and meeting the staff members who are going to be entrusted with being the public face of an organisation. A roadshow utilising modern Exhibition Trailers can be a perfect way to achieve this for this.

Marks & Spencer worked with EMS when they needed to implement an innovative and effective employee training programme to prepare for a new store remodelling roll-out. This close partnership brought in experience from both sides and helped develop a roadshow to reach 3,500 staff at 34 stores around the UK. This helped maximise the potential of their remodelled stores.

Two articles published in Marketing Week recently highlight the importance of a company engaging with its employees when it is intending to embark on a brand promotion push. The “Learning to love the brand you work for” by Morag Cuddeford Jones represents a manifesto for the mantra that employees really do matter most in a successful company.

In the work she cites Virgin; Sir Richard Branson’s has always stuck to the tried and tested policy of putting employees first for successful brand engagement and looking at the Virgin corporate identity it is difficult to argue that it hasn’t worked for him.

It’s a principle that EMS endorses, Managing Director Keith Austin comments: “Branson’s principle set out all those years ago holds true today – at EMS we are seeing a marked rise in demand for internal communications roadshows from global companies. They recognise that selling the brand to your staff first, through face-to-face marketing, is the key to success with customers.”

Another excellent example of this is BSkyB’s recent HD roadshow campaign. This was aimed squarely at its workforce and aimed to give them first-hand experience of the technology in action. It was, by any measure, a huge success. It reached 70% of the workforce and achieved this with minimum downtime in the working day. When you consider the roadshow was visited by more than 10,000 employees this is quite a feat. In turn the employees’ enthusiasm for HD helped boost 2010’s high demand for the product – and profits for Sky.