Happiness Harvests Higher Retention
Feb 15, 2026
Have you ever hired brilliant people only to watch them underperform and eventually leave?
Were you surprised when your perks and benefits failed to move the needle on retention?
You have a fulfillment crisis that leaves talent feeling caged.
Companies focused on employee happiness are four times more profitable.
The Perks Paradox
Think about how deeply the happiness misconception infiltrates your culture:
- You install ping pong tables and free snacks while relationships remain shallow.
- You offer flexible hours while people still feel mistrusted and undervalued.
- You hire multifaceted human beings and squeeze them into tiny job descriptions.
Darrin Tulley discovered something powerful when he asked 300 employees what "joy at work" meant. They said, "I just want to help people succeed" and "That I trust people" and "That I can care for them as friends." They did not mention ping pong tables.
Shift from Perks to Purpose
The traditional approach to retention said, "Add more benefits and watch people stay."
The R.E.T.A.I.N. framework says, "Take it to the limit by engaging hearts and minds, not just offering snacks."
Ryan Englin made this point powerfully: "When people come to work for you, they give up time with their family, time with their friends, time with their fun. If you cannot help them substitute that in some way, I don't care how much you pay. They're going to look somewhere else."
Darrin witnessed this transformation at a hospital struggling with nurse retention. By focusing on creating joy at work, their nurse turnover was cut in half from 27% to 12%. At a $50,000 replacement cost per nurse, the savings were substantial.
Grace Creates Space
Steve Salee works with high-stress environments and has seen toxic dynamics transformed. His approach centers on the phrase, "Grace creates space." Transformation begins as you give a team space to look at what is not working and let their voices have value.
Steve highlighted something the often-overlooked matter of self-care. He told me, "There's a piece we don't talk about enough in the work environment and that is the element of self-care." Leaders who model and encourage rest, boundaries, and balance stop the revolving door.
Your R.E.T.A.I.N. Challenge
Try these three actions this week:
- Discover Hidden Talents: Ask each direct report what skills they have that you are not using. Then do something with what you hear.
- Create Grace Space: Schedule a conversation specifically to hear frustrations. Allow for emotion. Value their perspective and find the truth underneath it.
- Model Self-Care: Stop sending late-night emails. Take your vacation days. Show your team that rest is not weakness but wisdom.
The Work Positive Bottom Line
The best leaders today cultivate genuine happiness through meaningful relationships rather than adding perks that never address the real needs of their people.
Stop throwing perks at problems. Start creating grace space so you R.E.T.A.I.N. top talent today.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, Stop the Revolving Door: How to R.E.T.A.I.N. Top Talent Today.
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