At a charity lunch in Manchester, I meet a cheerful ‘engagement manager’ from AO.com, formerly Appliances Online, a fast-growing internet seller of fridges and washing machines headquartered at Horwich near Bolton. The job title is new to me: it turns out to mean engaging the company’s workforce in ways that help them enjoy their jobs and feel valued. Their employment package features a £4-a-month ‘healthcare cash plan’ including dentistry, days off for charity work, gym memberships and a 50 per cent subsidy for ‘any social activity our staff fancy, so long as it develops their skills and is done by more than four people’. The emphasis on well-being and fun is part of the philosophy of chief executive and major shareholder John Roberts, who founded the business in 2000 after a bloke in a pub (who became a co-founder) bet him £1 he wouldn’t do it. At one staff Christmas party, reports Retail Week, Roberts ‘took to the stage with white jumpsuit-clad DJ Lionel Vinyl and led 1,000 employees in a dance to Seventies hit “Car Wash”.
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