The Importance of Care: Embracing the whole person at work 

Gallup, a survey and workplace consulting firm, recently updated its list of top employee engagement predictors to include the statement: My organization cares about my overall wellbeing. 

Glint, the survey platform we use here at Crane Group, names the following statement as one of its top engagement drivers: At work, I feel cared about as a person. 

On the surface, these statements might seem obvious. Of course employees want to feel cared for—and they should.  

But care, it seems, is emerging as a central component of employee wellbeing in a way it hasn’t before. 

In fact, according to Glint’s Employee Well-Being Report, employees who feel cared for are three times more likely to be happy at work and almost four times more likely to recommend working for their company—a notable increase compared to pre-pandemic data. 

At Crane Group, we have a proven record of caring for our people. Our founders launched and grew the company with a commitment to respect, which remains one of our core values today. We continue doubling down on care by introducing new strategies that meet the needs of the modern worker and embrace the whole person, supporting them personally and professionally so they can lead full lives both inside and outside of work. 

Here are a few key ways we show we care. 

Recruiting and onboarding 

In both our recruiting and onboarding practices, we take the opposite of a “sink or swim” approach. We want our new associates to be set up for success from the very beginning and to feel like they belong.  

One essential way we do this is by having them complete a hiring assessment to determine their working style and what motivates them. We then gather their coworkers together to discuss their different working styles and what this means for how they’ll function as a team. What are your team’s unique strengths? What challenges could arise? This creates alignment and allows everyone to excel in their role.  

Health and wellness 

We know that employees are able to do their best work when they feel both mentally and physically “fit.” Increasing the breadth and depth of Crane Group’s wellness programs has signaled to our associates that we care for them well beyond the office walls.  

We now offer health coaching and regular lunch and learns that dive deep into various aspects of health, from getting more (and better) sleep to improving financial wellness. And we’re building a class, with key lessons from James Clear’s Atomic Habits, to help associates ditch unhelpful habits or perhaps recommit to a New Year’s resolution that might not have stuck. Notably, we’ve received a lot of positive feedback for our increased commitment to health and wellness.  

Learning and development 

Offering ample opportunities to learn and grow is another strong indicator of a great work culture, according to Glint. At Crane Group, we offer development programs and classes for associates in various roles.  

In addition to our signature training program, Values Added Leadership, we have just launched a mentoring program. Both mentors and mentees will participate as a way to foster community and development. We also offer a range of classes that can be tailored to fit a team’s specific needs and help them work through unique challenges.  

These strategies are paying big dividends for us in terms of associate engagement, and we still have room to grow.  

Now and in the future, we’re committed to showing we care.  

Andrea Thomas is Crane’s VP of Leadership & Development. Her passion for developing leaders brought her to Crane Group in 2016. Her careful coaching, workshop development and facilitation, and candidate assessment have quickly become a cornerstone of our culture.