Why Should You Care?

3 minute read

I was scrolling through my phone notes recently and found an email I had written and sent to the leadership team at my previous job on my last day. I teared up when I read the part where I said:

“You’ve shown me empathy and flexibility when I needed it most in my life. You’ve continuously pushed me to test the limits of my abilities. You’ve believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.” 

I sat there thinking “Why am I crying about this email I wrote so long ago?” Then it clicked. The reason I hold such a fond space for them is because of how they cared for me when I needed it most. Yes, they provided a stable job and room for professional growth - all the things good employers should do. But those things aren’t what made me loyal to them for over eight years. 

What mattered to me was how they supported me during tough times. When my pet suffered a tragic illness, they allowed me a flexible schedule to take care of her. When my grandmother was dying, they told me to go be with my family. When my autoimmune disease wreaked havoc on my life, they asked how they could help lighten my load. When my daughter was born unexpectedly six weeks early, they took over immediately. 

Countless times, the leadership team helped me balance my personal life with professional obligations, both in good times and bad. They did this not just for me, but for everyone. In return, they received an incredibly loyal team with impressively long tenures (10+ years in many cases!). 

Why is caring for people at a personal level so important for retention and engagement? For me, it comes down to these points:

• I felt valued: They saw me as a person, not as a product or service. 

• I felt seen: Work is work, but at the end of the day we are all people with our own lives.

• I felt grateful: Office perks come and go, but a company that invests in you as a human is priceless. 

This group exemplified the gold standard of servant leadership. One key takeaway from my experience with them is that strong retention and culture come from genuinely caring for people. 

Do you work with a company you love? Share with us what it is about them that makes you so proud to work for them! 

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou