The Secret in the War for Talent is Care

As the talent war rages on, People Leaders are racking their brains to think of new and engaging ways to retain their existing talent. More workers are turning away from full-time employment to freelance work, with the gig economy in Britain having doubled since 2017 to 4.7 million workers. To make matters more complicated, millennial workers are far less likely than their older colleagues to stay in one spot for long, with a survey of US millennial workers revealing that 60% were open to a different job opportunity.

With competition fiercer than it has ever been before, it is clear to any People Leader that their businesses need to invest more time and effort than ever into keeping their employees on-side.

But new research suggests that it is not flashy benefits packages or quirky office spaces that keep employees in one place. The secret weapon in the talent war? Showing authentic care for employees.

New research from the Limeade Institute reveals a clear connection between perceptions of care among employees and the results they deliver to their businesses. The study, entitled ‘The Science of Care’, also provides a framework for businesses to operationalize the organizational support required to deliver the right level of care to their employees.

“The modern workplace demands an intentional shift from one that prioritizes the needs of employers to one that prioritizes the needs of employees,” said Dr Laura Hamill, Limeade Chief People Officer and Chief Science Officer.

“In order to do so, companies must take a ‘whole-person’ approach to managing the employee experience – from well-being to diversity and inclusion to employee engagement and other programs that make employees feel cared for both as organizational members and humans.”

While showing care for employees might seem like a relative or intangible concept to a more conservative business mindset, the advantages that such an approach provides for businesses are undeniable. ‘The Science of Care’ reveals that when employees feel cared for:

• 60% plan to stay in their company for three or more years, as opposed to only 7% of those who do not feel cared for
• 95% say they feel included in their organization, compared to only 14% of those who do not feel cared for
• 91% say that they are likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work to other prospective employees, as opposed to a worrying 9% of those who do not feel cared for

The study defines care as the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance and protection of employees. Fundamentally, employee care should be approached with the same mindset one would use in caring for something truly valuable, regardless of context.

Approaching care at the level of mindset creates a sustainable and effective foundation for People Leaders to continue caring for their people in the long-term.

“While things like margarita Mondays and pet insurance are nice-to-have perks, we believe showing employees care through organizational support is the ultimate foundation for the employee experience,” continued Dr Hamill.

“Care is about those day-to-day human interactions. It’s about being flexible and understanding when an employee needs to leave work early to pick up a sick child or fostering positive manager-employee interactions over a cup of coffee.”

‘The Science of Care’, developed by Kelly M. Hamilton, M.S., Reetu Sandhu, PhD and Laura Hamill, PhD from the Limeade Institute, explores existing academic literature on organizational care, in addition to providing new research on the concept of organizational care.

The research shows that perceptions of care are clearly linked to engagement, well-being and inclusion, and have a demonstrable effect on an employees’ intention to stay, and the likelihood that they will recommend their company to others as a great place to work.

To find out more about how you can show care for your employees, read the full whitepaper, ‘The Science of Care’, here.

You can also explore the elements of care framework in detail here.

About Limeade
Limeade is a software company that elevates the employee experience and helps build great places to work. Limeade ONE brings together employee well-being, engagement, inclusion and communications solutions in a mobile-first experience. Recognized for its own award-winning culture, Limeade helps every employee know their company cares. To learn more, visit www.limeade.com.