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  • March 30, 2022
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

To Retain Employees, Support Their Passions Outside Work

By: Lauren C Howe, Jon M. Jachimowicz and Jochen I. Menges
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

With more and more people quitting, leaders need to find new ways to boost retention. One under-recognized way to keep employees on board is to give them the flexibility and resources they need to pursue their out-of-work passions. Drawing on their research, the authors offer practical strategies for creating “passion opportunities” so that you can attract and retain employees who want to pursue their passions outside of work. Beyond simply providing employees with flexibility, leaders need to make sure that employees feel comfortable actually using this flexibility. Given longstanding ideas about the “ideal worker,” or the notion prevalent in the U.S. that a good employee is one who dedicates their time and energy solely to work, embracing non-work passions requires igniting a mindset shift, including explicit endorsement from leaders.

Keywords

Passion; Employees; Retention; Interests; Work-Life Balance; Human Resources; Strategy

Citation

Howe, Lauren C., Jon M. Jachimowicz, and Jochen I. Menges. "To Retain Employees, Support Their Passions Outside Work." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 30, 2022).
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About The Author

Jon M. Jachimowicz

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • April 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Giving Up on a Passion: Elizabeth Rowe at the Boston Symphony Orchestra

    By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon and Alexis Lefort
    • September 2024
    • Social Psychological & Personality Science

    A Potential Pitfall of Passion: Passion Is Associated with Performance Overconfidence

    By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
    • July 24, 2024
    • Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

    Research: How Passion Can Backfire at Work

    By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
More from the Authors
  • Giving Up on a Passion: Elizabeth Rowe at the Boston Symphony Orchestra By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon and Alexis Lefort
  • A Potential Pitfall of Passion: Passion Is Associated with Performance Overconfidence By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
  • Research: How Passion Can Backfire at Work By: Erica R. Bailey, Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky and Jon M. Jachimowicz
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