Employee engagement has hit the agenda in UK business and politics – even government is now focused on involving and motivating employees as part of an organisation.
In the business world, major corporations and even smaller companies are keen to improve the working experience for employees, as well as bettering services and products for consumers.
But circumstances were vastly different a few decades ago. In the 1970s and 80s, industrial problems blighted the landscape, from running battles between companies and unions to issues around quality and global competitiveness.
Inspiring good service was a novel concept. While in America, delivering “customer service” was perceived simply as part of doing one’s job, many British people considered it beneath them to be considered “servile” by focusing on clients. Employee engagement in those days had startlingly few early advocates but, in recent years,