This paper examines the effectiveness of a programme of weekly meetings between sessional staff and the unit coordinator of a large first-year class at an Australian university. Interviews with sessional staff indicate that, in addition to training and targeted professional development initiatives, management initiatives that promote engagement matter for the motivation of individual sessional staff members and the overall quality and cohesiveness of course delivery. This result aligns with a key finding from the employee engagement literature, namely, that a local manager who is directly concerned with the day-to-day work of employees plays a crucial role in translating their knowledge and skills into high quality outcomes. In this instance, it is quality learning outcomes for undergraduate students. We discuss potential benefits and impediments to a serious focus on the employee engagement of sessional staff, which we contrast with the current focus within the higher education sector on generic training and skills development initiatives.