ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the idea of workforce engagement and considers its relationship to employee health and wellbeing within the context of organisations responding to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Employee Engagement (EE) and Work Engagement (WE) are distinguished as two distinct approaches. The chapter shows there are concerns with the validity and meaning of engagement in its various guises: Employee Engagement could damage worker wellbeing and represents little more than consultants peddling snail oil, while Work Engagement may be no more than old wine in a newer re-fashioned bottle. The chapter argues we would be better ‘reimagining’ engagement as specific and practical supports to promote healthier and more socially fulfilling working environments.
