How 'sticky' is your organisation?

  An insightful guide for CEOs, COOs, CPOs and any leader who wants to fuel growth and reduce risk and costs by retaining talented people.

Published by Practical Inspiration Publishing

E-book launches 26 January 2026

Paperback & hardback launch 27 January 2026

Pre-order your copy now

About People Glue

 It’s not enough to get good people through the door: the crucial question is how long they’ll stay. 

When you lose hard-to-replace colleagues to competitors, self-employment, retirement or ‘a better life’, your business can quickly come unstuck. As a leader, it’s your job to retain and motivate the people with the skills, expertise and commitment your business needs to win. 

So how do you create a ‘sticky’ organization that makes your most valued employees want to stay?

You give them freedom.

Helen Beedham unpacks this paradox in this insightful guide for CEOs, COOs, CPOs and any leader who wants to fuel growth and reduce risk and costs by retaining talented people. She shows how businesses that enjoy stellar rates of retention have freedom in their DNA and how you can develop this low-risk, win-win approach too.

Discover

The anti-freedom forces at work that weaken your glue

The four freedoms that your organization should be offering

How to measure your performance on the Freedom Index

 Praise for People Glue

  • Ashley Whillans

    "Helen has expertly sculpted a practical guidebook to ensure that business purpose can be realized through a motivated ‘sticky’ team. It tackles some of the moment’s toughest debates such as pay and flexibility, to give advice on how they can be harnessed sustainably to motivate talented people to stay, and to perform. Powerful for HR leaders and individuals alike, I’d recommend People Glue to anyone who believes that people, purpose, and performance are the key to changing the world".


    Ruth Handcock OBE,

    CEO, Octopus Money

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  • "Helen Beedham has produced a vital read for the evidence-led leader. People Glue is chock full of the best data and research to inform and inspire your workplace culture."


    Bruce Daisley,

    Author of The Joy of Work

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  • Caroline Waters

    "Helen has written the strategic playbook for what I’ve been advocating for years: that trust, flexibility, and outcomes-based management aren’t just nice-to-haves – they’re business imperatives. Her ‘four freedoms’ framework gives leaders a comprehensive way to think about retention beyond just flexible work policies. Helen provides the ‘why’ with compelling research and a roadmap for building what she calls People Glue. If you’re serious about holding onto your best talent in a rapidly evolving work world, this book belongs on your shelf right next to your strategic plans."


    Brian Elliott,

    CEO, Work Forward and co-author of How the Future Works

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  • Simon McBride

    "People Glue is a critical read for business and HR leaders who want to build organizations where people truly stick – by choice, not by force. Helen offers sharp insights, valuable frameworks, and practical strategies for leaders and individuals alike to help them create workplaces rooted in freedom and clarity of purpose. If you care about performance, retention, and making work actually work for people, People Glue delivers".


    Siri Chilazi,

    Co-author of Make Work Fair and Senior Researcher at Harvard Kennedy School

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  • Janet Gaymer

    "In this book Helen offers an original and powerful take on retention, at a time when attracting and retaining the best talent is a crucial driver of adaptation and resilience. To want to stay, people need to experience freedom and autonomy, and Helen offers a practical framework for shaping a work culture that combines both freedom and purpose. People Glue is a must-read for managers and organizations who want an innovative, adaptable workforce in an era of fast-paced change. is a must-read for managers and organizations who want an innovative, adaptable workforce in an era of fast-paced change."


    Thomas Roulet,

    Professor of Organisational Sociology and Leadership at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge and co-author of Wellbeing Intelligence

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  • Julie Humphreys

    "People Glue is an essential primer for any executive who thinks seriously about what it means to lead and retain a team. It offers a clear and accessible perspective on building a great company by setting your workforce free. People Glue is especially valuable for managers grappling with the human side of leadership for the first time."


    Robert Pickering,

    Chair, Marex Group plc, author of Blue Blood: Cazenove in the age of global banking


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  • Simon Blake

    "People Glue is an essential read for any business leader focused on retaining talent as a competitive edge. In this brilliantly practical book, Helen reveals the real reasons why people leave and what makes the difference in organizations who get it right. Drawing on a rich analysis, Helen uncovers the often-surprising elements that bind people, teams, and cultures, offering tools and techniques to apply these insights in our own organizations".


    Sinead Keenan,

    Chief Innovation Officer, EZRA Coaching

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    "People Glue is essential reading for leaders and employees who want to be part of high-performing organizations, able to navigate the steep obstacles of business life today. Helen backs up her claim that setting people free is likely to make them stay by explaining compellingly the consequences and benefits of this freedom. With thorough and thoughtful analysis, she shows why it can be so hard to create freedom in organizations; the dangers of false freedoms, and the pitfalls that can arise on this journey, but also provides a clear roadmap on how to deliver freedom and thus create the employee commitment craved by many leaders. By the end, I was clear about the prize, positive about the journey, and keen to make a start"


    Jonathan Bond,

    HR Director, Leigh Day and author of Workolution

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  • Neil Laybourn

    "This book is laser-focused on why people matter. I love how Helen explains the principle of purpose, both for the business and also for the individual, so it aligns for maximum performance – why you should give a damn! Belonging as a concept for the best talent retention and most importantly the power of freedom and autonomy driven through an organization to really make People Glue effective. A brilliant read for anyone wanting to grow a business with people at the core."


    Sam Smith,

    Co-Founder of The Superscalers, former CEO of finnCap and author of The Secret Sauce

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