Workplace loyalty. The concept may seem as though it has been relegated to the dustbin of history. A horrific economy, employers that layoff workers with impunity, and bosses that keep employees on a BlackBerry tether 24x7 do little to assuage the belief that it's essential to look out for Number One.
However, according to Timothy Keiningham and Lerzan Aksoy, authors of Why Loyalty Matters (Benbella, July 2009) workers who say they're loyal to their employers experience the highest levels of job satisfaction. The upshot? Loyalty matters, especially in tough times. Moreover, you can learn to increase your loyalty level--and potentially up your happiness in a down economy, they argue.
Keiningham and Aksoy draw from the most comprehensive study of loyalty ever conducted, the landmark Ipsos Loyalty Study, to show why loyalty is critical to our happiness as individuals and our success as a society. Whether you're looking to change jobs, find a new career, or improve your satisfaction level at a current job, consider heeding their advice. When it comes to business success, relationship success, and even our overall happiness, loyalty is the difference maker.
Sam Greengard: These days, most companies display very little loyalty to employees. So, why should employees show loyalty to employers?
Tim Keiningham: Several years ago, this question was entered on Yahoo! Answers: “I was wondering, why should employees be so faithful and loyal to companies who don’t care about them?” The best answer, chosen by voters, began this way: “Employees are not loyal, nor should we be. If we can get $5 more an hour for the same job by switching, most of us would. And why shouldn’t we?”
This exchange demonstrates the quid pro quo of today’s company–employee loyalty. As workers, all too often we find ourselves considered disposable. Not surprisingly, our loyalty as employees to the firms where we work has responded in kind. While this might seem totally fair, it doesn’t make us feel any better. Our loyalty as employees directly impacts our happiness. We are much more likely to be happy if we feel strongly loyal to our work.
SG: What are the benefits of showing loyalty? What does an employee receive in return?
TK: One of the most important domains of our lives is our work. In fact, nothing will take up more of our time as adults than work—not family time, recreation, eating, or even sleeping. And while we often hear “it’s just a job,” work has the potential to enrich our lives. Our research conclusively shows that the more we can feel loyalty to the work we do, the more likely we are to be happy.
SG: What does it mean to be loyal? What specific actions and behavior translate into loyalty?
TK: It is important to distinguish being loyal from being a sycophant. Being loyal does not mean following something or someone blindly, allowing others to take advantage of you, or undermining yourself for others’ benefit. Any organization or individual that expects this of you under the guise of loyalty has proven that they are not worthy of your loyalty.
Real loyalty at work is about meaningfully connecting with your co-workers to help one another and the organization succeed. Here are some simple ways that each of us can demonstrate loyalty in the workplace:
1. Provide support and assistance to colleagues.
2. Take a real interest in workplace projects and challenges.
3. Recognize and encourage coworkers.
4. Demonstrate that you are committed to the success of the team.
5. Be reliable—follow through on what you say you will do.
While this might sound easy, few of us actually do this. Less than 5 percent of us—fewer than 1 in 20—invest a great deal of time building and sustaining relationships with our colleagues at work. But we spend far too much time at work not to build meaningful connections there.
SG: Is it possible to remain loyal to an employer over the long-run if an employer doesn't show loyalty in return? Or does resentment build if it's not a two-way street?
TK: It is possible, but not likely. Ultimately, loyalty is about connecting with someone or something. If our work is making us unhappy—and as a result, we cannot bring ourselves to feel loyal—then we need to do some serious introspection. Is it really that the company “doesn’t care,” or is it something else? Clearly, not all work environments are conducive to our happiness. But frequently the problem is not the company per se, but our place in it.
Here are two of the most common problems with our ability to feel enriched at work:
1. The roles expected of the job
a. What is it about my work that drains me?
b. What aspects of my work do I love doing?
c. How can I do more of what I love and less of what I hate?
2. Our connection to others at work
a. What is the quality of my relationships with my peers?
b. What is the quality of my relationships with my direct supervisors?
c. What is the quality of my relationships with those who report to me?
Both of these issues are important. But it is our loyalty to others at work (our peers, supervisors, and direct reports) that most strongly impacts our overall happiness through our work.
SG: What did you find in your research? Any surprises?
TK: One of the most interesting findings in our research was the unique contribution of our loyalties in multiple domains of our life (e.g., work, family, friends, community, etc.). We need to feel loyalty in multiple domains of our life if we are to be happy. And outside of family and friends, for those of us in the workforce, work is the most important domain impacting our happiness.
SG: Why do loyal employees report a higher rate of job satisfaction?
TK: Satisfaction is the seed from which loyalty tends to grow. Typically, enrichment at work leads us to develop stronger, loyal bonds. Therefore, it is up to us as employees to really hone in on those things that make us feel strong/fulfilled at work, and to try and find ways to do those things more often. Obviously, we can’t do this all the time—it’s called work for a reason. But if we make the effort, we can improve the percentage of our day spent doing those things that bring value to our lives.
SG: How does the current economic downturn affect loyalty?
TK: Without question, the recession has seriously damaged company-employee loyalty. We read the headlines. Layoffs make the front pages of our newspapers regularly. In essence, employers are telling their employees en masse that their loyalties are no longer economically viable. It hurts! And employees that survive the cuts are responding by mentally quitting their jobs and seeing them as merely a way to make money.
This situation isn’t good for companies, and it isn’t good for us as employees either. For businesses, long-term success depends on loyal employees. The commitment and ingenuity of a company’s people is the only thing that cannot be replicated by another firm—and this is totally dependent upon their loyalty to the organization.
And for us as workers, a lack of employee loyalty means we spend the bulk of our waking hours trading our time and labor for one thing only—money. Sure, we need to pay the mortgage, keep food on the table, etc. But if the only reward for our work is monetary, then the exchange is likely to leave us unfulfilled. The reality is that our research shows that “feeling a deep sense of belonging to the company where I work” is far more important to most employees in driving their happiness than is pay.
SG: What are the considerations for older workers trying to navigate the current job environment?
TK: This is a difficult market. And while Americans 50+ have witnessed a dramatic shift in company loyalty towards their employees, it is important not to allow this to jade you. We need to find joy in what we do. And we also spend too much time at work to not develop strong, loyal bonds there. (In many ways it is the work equivalent of not giving up on love because someone has broken your heart.)
For those who are looking for work in this market, it is important to call on those loyal relationships we have developed throughout our lives. Find two or three people who will be your support team—encouraging you, looking out for opportunities, and providing honest appraisals. This is the ultimate promise of strong loyalties…building connections that will support you in good times and bad.
For more information about loyalty, including an assessment tool for understanding relationship styles and what's needed to raise your Loyalty Quotient or LQ, click to: LoyaltyAdvisor (www.LoyaltyAdvisor.com).
Recent Comments