Employee Loyalty

To get loyal employees employers must:

• Select employees carefully so they match the job and the company environment
• Pay fair market value wages and salaries
• Provide training in safety and job skills

Often when speaking to organizations or talking with clients, the subject of employee loyalty comes up. The questions asked are usually the same: “How come employees aren’t loyal any more?” or “How can I find employees that will be loyal to me?” The questions are the same and so is my response. Employees today are as loyal as they were years ago. Today’s employees, like many employers have lost the ability to define and recognize loyalty in the employee-employer relationship.

Employers are looking for employees that will express their loyalty by doing what is expected of them, going the extra mile when really needed, follow the company rules, be reliable and remain a good employee (that is, “don’t leave us”). Employees on the other hand want a place to work that is reliable, safe, pays fairly, has good co-workers and is free of discrimination.

One would think that it would be pretty easy to match the two. But often it’s not. The primary reasons employers are not able to find loyal employees is they don’t invest enough time looking for loyal employees, and they don’t invest enough effort in creating a work place that employees want to be loyal to.

Employers often fail to recognize that the employee loyalty of the past did not walk in the door with the employee as a part of the recruitment process.
Employers often fail to recognize that the employee loyalty of the past did not walk in the door with the employee as a part of the recruitment process. It was developed over time, as a part of the employment process. Loyalty, after all is a relationship. It is very similar to love. When we give love we expect love in return – so too with the relationship of loyalty.

The first and most important step in any relationship is finding the right person – a match. That person must be able to do or learn how to do the job, and they must be able to fit into the culture of the company. Finding the right person for the job means clearly defining the requirements of the job and matching it to a person that has the required skills and work habits. Finding a loyal employee is finding a mate for your work place.

After hiring the right person for the job, the relationship must be nurtured. Clearly define expectations. Pay employees the market value of their skills. Be a fair, consistent employer – not fairly consistent, but consistently fair. Continuously train employees to work safely and efficiently. Teach them that you cannot give them lifetime employment, but their increased skills will provide them lifetime employability should they need to transfer their skills.

Reprint permission granted by Lonnie Harvey, Jr., SPHR. Jesclon Group. NC

This newsletter provided compliments of
Percy Emtage & Associates

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Heather Percy, 
President