Terms of engagement

There are some topics that are best avoided with certain people. It’s not a good idea to discuss the meaninglessness of the concept of love on a first date. Asking your friend’s four-year-old if they really, really believe in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus won’t make you Mr Popular. And questioning the value of the idea of engagement with HR people tends to go down very badly. Of course, I generalise. I’m sure some of you squirm in silence every time you hear the term engagement bandied about. And this is exactly what I was doing over dinner a few months ago – though my silence was short-lived.