The Invisible Employee – Realizing the Hidden Potential in Everyone
Authors: Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
Price: £13.99
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
Pages: 138
ISBN: 0471777390
This thought-provoking book was a delight to read. The authors describe it as ‘a business fable for managers on engaging and inspiring employees’. Considering it was a business book, I found it as difficult to put down as a book you would read for pleasure. However, fun as it was, it made some very serious points.
The book consists of alternating chapters of good ways of recognising employee efforts and an ongoing story of ‘invisible employees’, consisting of Highlanders and Wurc-Urs. The Wurc-Urs have to provide the Highlanders with jewels and, in return, the Highlanders provide the Wurc-Urs with food. However, the Wurc-Urs gradually become more and more invisible until they eventually ‘blink out’ because of the lack of attention from the Highlanders.
The story continues in this manner until a Highlander – who is also a See-er – makes the other Highlanders aware that if they took more notice of the Wurc-Urs and rewarded them for their efforts, the Highlanders would reap the benefits of increased productivity.
If this sounds familiar, it should. How many companies expect their employees to keep quiet, get on with their jobs and make no trouble? How much more successful could these same companies be if they had a See-er?
This is a well-written book with a novel twist, which gets the point across about how necessary it is to recognise the efforts of employees. It is also practical and inspirational in showing readers how to change attitudes in very simple ways.
Useful? 5 out of 5
Well-written? 5 out of 5
Practical? 5 out of 5
Inspirational? 5 out of 5
Value for money? 5 out of 5
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Overall 5 out of 5
Reviewed by Barbara Stannard, personnel manager, Frank Wright
