ABSTRACT
The twenty-year interval selected for study may be regarded as the formative period of personnel administration. While some of the activities were first introduced prior to 1890, they were, on the whole, limited to a few companies. Many of the 22 categories of welfare or betterment work were initiated in this period and experimentation with them in these years led employers to appraise their worth. Employers attributed their increased interest in employee welfare to many things. One of the frequently cited advantages of personnel work was that it enabled the firm to attract and retain desirable employees. Personnel work for some employers was probably a form of insurance against unions. This chapter presents some examples to indicate that many employees were not sympathetic to welfare programs as conducted by employers during this period. Anti-labor sentiment on the part of employers and a disregard of essential goals of workers gave rise to a natural suspicion and even hostility toward betterment programs.
