Now more than ever, organizations face a significant responsibility to raise up and care about people as much as performance. Not only is it the right thing to do, it has positive, business-related impact. Employers that make work meaningful, inspiring, and sustainable enjoy a more engaged, productive, happy, healthy, and loyal workforce. These employers have improved reputations, higher retention rates, and a greater ability to execute overall talent strategies successfully.
How responsible and compassionate organizations foster inclusion, well-being, development, and a sense of purpose among employees
How can we help
Our integrated Thriving at Work offering consists of a diagnostic assessment followed by intervention design, through which we bring the best of our firm’s proprietary assets and tools together to craft integrated initiative plans and coach managers and leaders across all levels. We have a robust portfolio of expertise, assets, and research across the following four areas to help improve work environments for employees in every industry.
Inclusion
Fostering a sense of belonging and support that allows all employees to thrive
Mental health and well-being
Ensuring employees have the mental, physical, social, and spiritual circumstances to thrive
Skills-based opportunity
Hiring employees who have the skills to succeed and providing continuous training and development
Purpose
Helping employees find individual and organizational meaning in their jobs and careers
The importance of managers
Managers have the potential for outsized impact on employee experiences, and they must be engaged in responsible, compassionate employer practices. The most important management skills to develop include:
- Setting the tone as an inspirational leader by showing genuine care for others, fostering inclusion, and encouraging others to live into their purpose at work
- Coaching team members through finding opportunities for skill development and advancement in their careers
- Spending time with team members and becoming a first line of support at key moments of personal or professional challenges
Featured experts

Jacqueline Brassey
Senior Fellow, MHILuxembourg
Co-Director of Healthy Workforces and Director of Research Science at the McKinsey Health Institute, passionate about helping...

Erica Hutchins Coe
PartnerAtlanta
Advises leading public-, private-, and social-sector healthcare organizations to embrace a holistic approach to care, inclusive...

Bonnie Dowling
PartnerDenver
Serves agencies and companies on transformations to improve employee retention and organizational health for hybrid work during...

Diana Ellsworth
PartnerAtlanta
Leads McKinsey’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work; directs initiatives focused on establishing inclusive, productive workplace...

Emily Field
PartnerSeattle
Shapes organizational strategies to establish talent management as a distinctive advantage, preparing leaders to manage the workforce...

Drew Goldstein
PartnerCarolinas - Charlotte
Designs transformative strategies that reshape workplace culture and environments to align with business goals and ignites organizational...

Bryan Hancock
PartnerWashington DC
Supports private, public, and social sector clients through expertise in talent management, organizational design, and workforce...

Leah Pollack
PartnerWashington DC
Supports federal agencies, state and local governments, and foundations to improve behavioral health and education outcomes in...

Alex Rodriguez
Senior PartnerMiami
Brings global perspective on consumer and retail issues, with expertise in customer experience, operations, and frontline change...

Aaron De Smet
Senior PartnerNew Jersey
Delivers growth, innovation, and organizational agility and is an expert on culture change, leadership development, team effectiveness,...

Brooke Weddle
Senior PartnerWashington DC
Drives lasting change at scale for global organizations through digital transformation, operating-model redesign, enterprise...
Featured book
Book - Featured Insights
Power to the Middle
With rich stories and cutting-edge research, Power to the Middle offers a new model for companies to radically alter the way they hire, train, and reward their most valuable asset: managers, the true center of the organization.
Featured insights
Article
Taking a skills-based approach to building the future workforce
-
Our work with the Rework America Alliance highlights how a skills-based approach can help US employers expand talent pools and retain great workers—even through economic uncertainty.
Article
Help your employees find purpose—or watch them leave
-
Employees expect their jobs to bring a significant sense of purpose to their lives. Employers need to help meet this need, or be prepared to lose talent to companies that will.
Global theme
Corporate Purpose
What defines a company’s purpose—its core reason for being and its impact on the world? This collection looks closer at the issues and how to move from theory to action in the next normal.