Positive Teams: Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing

While strategy, fundraising and service delivery are often the focus of organisational growth, the most successful charities recognise that their biggest asset is their people. Recruiting the right individuals, helping them flourish and creating an environment where they feel valued and supported is fundamental to long-term success.

A recent webinar featuring training consultants from the Directory of Social Change explored how charities can build positive team cultures that support recruitment, retention and wellbeing, creating organisations where people are motivated to stay and able to do their best work.

One of the key messages from the session was that recruitment, retention and wellbeing should not be viewed as separate activities.

The culture you create during recruitment influences how people feel when they join. Their induction shapes how connected they feel to the organisation. And the daily experience of working within your charity ultimately determines whether they stay.

Creating a positive culture is not something that happens after people are hired. It starts from the very first interaction.

When charities actively communicate their values, priorities and commitment to wellbeing, they send a clear message about the type of organisation they are.

Start With Your Mission, Vision and Values

Before recruiting anyone, charities should be clear about three things:

Mission

What does your organisation do?

Vision

What change are you trying to create?

Values

How do you behave while doing it?

Values are particularly important because they shape organisational culture.

Many charities have values written on websites or tucked away in policy documents, but the webinar challenged organisations to think more deeply about whether those values are genuinely lived every day.

Values should influence:

• Recruitment decisions
• Internal communications
• Leadership behaviours
• Performance conversations
• Team relationships
• Wellbeing initiatives

Culture is built through consistent behaviour, not simply through statements on a wall.

Recruiting for Values, Not Just Skills

Technical skills matter, but recruiting solely on capability can create problems later.

The webinar encouraged charities to place greater emphasis on values-based recruitment.

After all, many skills can be taught.

Attitude, empathy, motivation and commitment are much harder to develop.

Practical Ways to Recruit for Values

Consider asking questions such as:

• Can you describe a time you demonstrated one of our core values?
• What attracted you to our organisation?
• What motivates you about this work?
• How do your values align with ours?

These conversations help organisations understand not only what candidates can do, but how they are likely to contribute to the culture.

Making Recruitment More Inclusive

Interview processes can often favour people who are comfortable in traditional interview settings rather than the people most capable of doing the job.

One particularly interesting recommendation was providing candidates with some interview questions in advance.

This approach can:

• Reduce anxiety
• Support neurodivergent candidates
• Encourage better quality responses
• Create a fairer assessment process

The goal should be to identify the best person for the role, not simply the best interview performer.

Creating a more welcoming candidate experience also strengthens the organisation’s reputation, even among unsuccessful applicants.

The Importance of a Strong Induction

The work does not stop once someone accepts a role.

A good induction helps people:

• Understand expectations
• Meet colleagues
• Learn procedures
• Build confidence
• Feel connected to the organisation

However, many charities overlook wellbeing during this stage.

The webinar stressed that conversations about mental health support, work-life balance and organisational culture should be included from the outset.

Practical Induction Ideas

• Introduce Mental Health First Aiders
• Share available wellbeing support
• Conduct weekly check-ins during the first month
• Increase one-to-one meetings during the first six months
• Provide opportunities for feedback on the recruitment experience

This early investment helps new staff settle in more quickly and feel supported from day one.

Retention Begins With Trust

Charities often focus heavily on recruitment but spend less time thinking about why people stay.

According to the speakers, trust is one of the most important factors in retaining talented staff.

People are more likely to remain where they feel:

• Respected
• Listened to
• Supported
• Empowered
• Valued

Trust is created through everyday leadership behaviours rather than occasional wellbeing initiatives.

It comes from keeping promises, communicating honestly and involving staff in decisions that affect them.

Creating Psychological Safety

A recurring theme throughout the webinar was the importance of psychological safety.

This means creating an environment where people feel comfortable:

• Asking questions
• Sharing concerns
• Admitting mistakes
• Challenging ideas respectfully
• Discussing wellbeing honestly

When staff feel safe to speak up, organisations become healthier, more collaborative and more resilient.

Without psychological safety, problems often remain hidden until they become much harder to address.

Why Managers Need a Coaching Mindset

Traditional management often focuses on directing and evaluating.

A coaching approach focuses on supporting and developing.

The webinar encouraged managers to spend more time asking questions such as:

• What’s getting in the way?
• How can I help?
• What support do you need?
• What would success look like?

This approach shifts the focus from supervision to growth.

Rather than trying to control performance, leaders create conditions that help people succeed.

Supporting Wellbeing Every Day

Wellbeing should not be treated as a standalone initiative.

Instead, it should be integrated into how the organisation operates.

Practical ideas discussed included:

• Creating wellbeing groups
• Training Mental Health First Aiders
• Establishing wellbeing channels in Teams or Slack
• Running regular wellbeing surveys
• Promoting external support services
• Embedding wellbeing discussions into one-to-ones

The aim is to make conversations about wellbeing normal rather than exceptional.

Managing Hybrid and Remote Teams

Many charities now operate with hybrid or remote working arrangements.

While these models offer flexibility, they can also create challenges around connection and wellbeing.

Remote staff may experience:

• Isolation
• Difficulty switching off
• Reduced informal interaction
• Lower visibility within teams

To address this, charities should intentionally create opportunities for connection.

This can include:

• Regular check-ins
• Team conversations that aren’t task-focused
• Virtual social activities
• Clear communication structures
• Manager training focused on remote support

Culture cannot be left to chance when teams are dispersed.

Helping People Shine

One of the most memorable messages from the webinar was a simple reframe of management.

Instead of asking:

“How do I manage performance?”

Leaders should ask:

“How do I help people shine?”

This shift changes everything.

It moves managers away from policing behaviour and towards removing barriers, providing support and enabling success.

People generally want to do a good job.

The role of leadership is to create an environment where they can.

Final Thoughts

Positive cultures do not emerge accidentally.

They are created by organisations that deliberately invest in people, model their values and treat wellbeing as a strategic priority rather than an afterthought.

The charities that attract and retain the best people are often not those with the biggest budgets.

They are the ones where staff feel trusted, supported and connected to a meaningful purpose.

By embedding wellbeing into recruitment, induction, management and organisational culture, charities can create workplaces where people are not only productive, but also motivated, resilient and able to do their best work.

And when charities look after their people, those people are far better placed to look after the communities they serve.