John henry patterson's contributions to industrial welfare

Abstract

This article analyzes the origins of industrial welfare — a concept of gaining employees’ loyalty by offering them various paternalistic benefits such as meal facilities, medical care, recreational programs, and educational opportunities. Industrial welfare programs in the United States shaped the personal lives, morals, education, and work habits of generations of American labor. The article provides evidence that industrial welfare was started at the National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio. The president of the National Cash Register Company, John Henry Patterson, personally instituted policies and procedures that revolutionized and reformed the practice of management in industrialized settings. As a result of Patterson's initiatives, he is known as the “Father of industrial welfare.”