Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador
People Glue
Book

People Glue

Hold on to your best people by setting them free

Helen Beedham
Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2026
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What really matters when it comes to retaining top talent? In this helpful guide, consultant Helen Beedham unpacks essential workplace freedoms — having autonomy, pursuing new skills and career growth, being valued, and doing work that matters — and explains how they act as “people glue” for companies looking to attract and keep good employees. She cautions that freedom requires defined expectations for companies and workers. Beedham offers top-level leaders, frontline managers, and individual workers practical advice on implementing freedom in the workplace.

Summary

People need freedom at work.

Organizations that retain employees save on recruitment and lost productivity costs, which can range from 40% to 200% of each worker’s yearly pay. They achieve a competitive advantage by maintaining client relationships, increasing efficiency, and upskilling staff to meet future business needs. Yet, on average, workers in the United States and the United Kingdom stay with their employers for fewer than four years. A 2024 Gallup poll found that only 16% of people who left their employers cited higher pay as their primary motivation for the change. For many, flexibility and interesting work that provides growth opportunities take precedence. A 2025 report from Randstad’s WorkMonitor found that a majority of workers care more about work–life balance than compensation. Simply put, employees stick with organizations that offer freedom.

As part of their research, Helen Beedham and her colleague Eliana Strauss surveyed people about their desire for freedom at work, and asked them to rank the importance of these four freedoms:

  1. “Autonomy” — Workers of all demographic groups rated the flexibility...

About the Author

Helen Beedham is an organizational expert, business book author, speaker, and host of The Business of Being Brilliant podcast.

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