How do I get my people to care?
Tough love time: they don't care because you never gave them a reason to!
You hired them, told them what to do and expected them to magically care as much as you do about the business. Instead, you're frustrated that they treat it like "just a job."
I’m sorry to break it to you but people don't start caring on day one. They start forming an opinion about working for you the moment they see your job advert and every interaction after that either builds their investment or f*cks it.
If you want people who care, you need to make consistent effort to help them understand that you're invested in helping them succeed. Not just when you feel like it or "every now and then" but from the moment they apply for your job, all the way through to the moment they leave your business.
Here's what that actually looks like...
The Journey Starts Before They Even Apply
Most job adverts are a copy of the job description or boring lists of requirements that tell candidates nothing about what it's actually like to work in your business or what they'll achieve.
"Must have 3 years experience. Proficient in Excel. Strong communication skills."
Ugh. Just like every other job out there.
Let's say Susie's looking for a new role. She sees your generic job advert: tasks, requirements, maybe a bit about "benefits" and your company. It looks fine, so she applies... but she's also applied to five other similar roles because none of them stood out.
Now imagine she sees an advert that explains where your business is heading, how this role will help the business to succeed and the impact she'll make. She can picture herself in that role. She gets excited about the challenge. She applies to yours first and actually wants to hear back.
What makes people care at this stage:
They can see the challenge and opportunity, not just the tasks or qualifications required
They understand what the business is trying to achieve
They can picture themselves making an impact
They get a sense of what it's actually like to work there
What this means for you:
Your job description attracts the right people and filters out those who aren't interested, so you don't waste hours interviewing unsuitable candidates who were just applying to anything.
The Interview Process Adds To The Excitement
If your interview process is just "can they do the job?" you're missing the entire point.
Yes, you need to assess capability, the "what" and the "how", but you also need to sell the opportunity. It's a two-way experience and you need them to leave that interview excited about the possibility of working with you.
Let's go back to Susie because she's coming in (or joining a Zoom call) for an interview!
In the basic version, you run through her experience, check if she can do the job, have a bit of chat. She leaves thinking "yeah, seems okay"... It's fine, but she's not invested. She's still keeping her options open with the other interviews she's got lined up.
In the better version, she meets her future manager who explains the vision for where the business is heading and how this role is critical to getting there. She asks questions about the culture, the challenges, what success looks like and she even gets to meet some of the team and ask them questions. She leaves thinking "I really want this job" and so when you make an offer, she says yes immediately because she's already invested.
What makes people care at this stage:
They meet the people they'll actually be working with
They understand the vision and where they fit in it
They get to ask questions
They leave feeling like "I want to work there"
What this means for you: Your structured interview process means you know exactly what to look for and can make confident hiring decisions quickly. And when they start, they're already engaged, not just relieved to have a job.
Day One Sets The Tone For Everything After
If someone shows up on their first day and you're scratching around to figure out what they should do, you've just told them "We weren't ready for you", what you're actually telling them is a combination of "You're not that important" and "things are a f*cking mess here".
Susie shows up on Monday morning, you show her where the kitchen is, give her a login and say "any questions just shout" and then you disappear into meetings. She spends her first week trying to figure out what she should be doing, interrupting colleagues with basic questions, feeling awkward. By the end of the week she's worried she made a huge mistake in accepting the offer.
In the better version, her first month is already mapped out before she arrives. Day one: her manager walks her through exactly what she'll be learning, who she'll be meeting with and what she should achieve by the end of weeks one, two, three and four. She gets proper introductions to the team and key contacts. She knows what's expected and feels supported. By the end of week one, she's confident she made the right choice.
What makes people care at this stage:
They know exactly what to expect and what's expected of them
Their time is structured, not wasted
They're introduced properly and feel welcomed
They understand how their role connects to the bigger picture
What this means for you: Because Susie's onboarding was planned, you weren't panicking to find her stuff to do or being constantly interrupted by basic questions. She became productive faster without draining yours or your team's time.
It Doesn't Stop After Onboarding
Your people require ongoing investment to be successful and not a one-time, box-ticking thing.
Two months down the line, you think Susie's settled in, though you haven't really checked in properly; you’ve just asked "how's it going?" in passing a few times. She's doing tasks, but she doesn't really understand why or how it connects to the bigger picture. She doesn't get feedback unless something's wrong. By month three, she's started looking elsewhere because "it's fine here", but she doesn't feel particularly excited or enthused by it; it's just a job.
In the version where you're investing in every employee, she's having regular one-to-ones with her manager every week. She's getting feedback on what she's doing well and where she can improve, and she is able to provide feedback too. She's having honest conversations about challenges and is getting support to work through them. She understands where the business is going and how she's contributing. By month six, she's fully invested: she's bringing ideas, challenging the status quo, taking accountability and not just ticking tasks off her to-do list. She can see her own growth and future here.
What makes people care at this stage:
Regular conversations about how they're doing, what's working for them and what's not
Feedback that helps them improve, not just criticism when things go wrong, plus the opportunity to give constructive feedback freely
Clarity about what's next for them and how they can grow
Feeling supported and valued not tick-box managed or ignored
What this means for you: The regular check-ins meant small issues got caught and sorted before they became big problems that disrupted your day. Susie stayed engaged, kept improving and you've kept a good person who starts taking more responsibility, freeing up your time and helping your business to grow.
People Care When You Show Them It Matters
You can't demand that people care and certainly not to care as much as you.
You also can't encourage them to care with superficial bullshit like pizza Fridays, motivational team chats (that go nowhere) and the once-a-year Amazon gift voucher.
It happens because you've intentionally helped set them up to succeed and taken them on the first-class journey (rather than economy, low-effort version) with you from the very beginning.
If you want people who care, you need to show them why they should bother!
