There are many challenges facing bosses and, to help ensure they achieve the best results and to make their lives easier, many are turning to specialist HR and payroll solutions.

However, it seems as though some organisations in Britain could be doing better when it comes to the management of personnel. According to research conducted by Right Management, the UK lags behind the rest of the world in terms of employee engagement and productivity.

It suggested that low personnel engagement and output are the greatest HR challenges facing organisations around the country. The study revealed that these issues were the primary concern for 31 per cent of the HR professionals it polled in Britain. This compared with just 21 per cent globally.

In China, for example, employee engagement was seen as the greatest challenge for only 11 per cent of respondents, while this fell even lower to eight per cent in Brazil.

Commenting on the figures, Mark Hodgson, talent management practice leader at Right Management, said: “There’s a stark contrast between levels of optimism and engagement in the UK and Europe, compared to the Americas and Asia-Pac.

“It seems many organisations in the UK are still stuck in recession mode but the fact is, the economy is in recovery. Businesses need to start talking about growth and start investing in and inspiring their workforce; putting talent initiatives on hold simply isn’t an option.”

Fortunately for managers, there is plenty of help at hand. For example, bosses can take advantage of specially designed HR software to help them create effective systems.