'Take Care' is a children's book can serve as a workplace-culture guide for employers.
Microsoft’s former director of people research Dr Laura Hamill has co-authored a children’s book that HR leaders may want to read. ‘Take Care’ is a story about a young girl named Louise who learns that the one rule in her class — ”take care of yourself and each other” — is not being followed at her mom’s workplace, and what happens next gives he mothers some valuable life lessons.
Now the chief people officer at employee experience technology company Limeade, Laura says the book shows how the message of caring not only empowers children but also improves workplace culture, which is often the first thing to be put to the test in times of crisis.
“Some organisations are afraid of acknowledging their own role in the care and pretend it’s not true. It’s time to embrace something a little more human. And other organisations aren’t willing, to be honest about what matters. There are fear and inertia about how we’ve been doing things. Somehow, we expect people to stop being humans when we go to work,” says Laura in a statement, adding that their organisation recently some research on the science of care, “which speaks to the well-supported idea that the more that organisations encourage and support their employees, the better off those organisations."
The research shows that employers can improve retention, inclusion, wellbeing and engagement at work, simply by showing employees they care about them as individuals.
The book’s co-author and Limeade senior director Jolene Crame says the book reveals how the things we learn as kids about caring for other people are also important in the workplace.
“It’s about human connection and how we are with people. Even when it’s hard — having that trust and foundation allows you to go through hard times and work through things,” says Laura,
