Engaging employees can have a positive impact on many facets of business, from staff retention to the bottom line.

And a newly self-employed HR professional is aiming to spread this message to employers across Norfolk.

Cassandra Andrews, from Norwich, has set up a consultancy focusing on employee engagement – which has been cited as a driver of productivity as well as staff wellbeing.

She believes employee engagement could be a 'bigger problem than Brexit' for employers in the coming months and years.

'The new buzz word is 'employee experience',' she said.

'Most companies will look at their customer's journey, but does anyone look at employee experience, and what it looks like at each touch point?

'I want to start a movement with business leaders in Norfolk to get them to understand the power of employee engagement – the end result of working to engage your employees.'

She uses a technique called motivational maps, developed by management coach James Sale, which determine a person's motivations and can help line managers to 'map' their team's motivations to assess why clashes may be occurring or where there are deficiencies.

Unlike personality tests, the maps give a 'snapshot' a person's motivations at a given time, Ms Andrews said. 'Normally someone will have three key drivers, and some motivators can be in conflict in your own map.'

Ms Andrews also plans to train in organisational maps, which enable directors to map the motivations of their entire workforce.

She will be running a masterclass on February 23 at The Elms Business Space in Norwich, which will include a free business health check and motivational maps.

Ms Andrews' career in HR began with the John Lewis Partnership. She left the group in 2005 to fulfil her dream of owning her own business by purchasing a child care franchise, covering services from home nannies to corporate crèches.

She sold the business in 2010 and went back to employment, working at a Produce World vegetable processing plant in Ely where she helped the firm to achieve accolades for its employee care.

Following stints with Kettle Foods and Age UK Norfolk, Ms Andrews is branching out on her own again.

'I'd always known I wanted to work for myself,' she said.