One of the biggest misconceptions about company loyalty and employee retention is that he or she is loyal because they have worked for the company for many years and thusly advocate the employee brand. This is the first mistake that most companies and business professionals make. An employee who has been working for your company for a long time are not necessarily loyal, nor do they necessarily buy into the company’s ethos or support its growth goals. And according to glassdoor, an un-loyal employee can have a huge negative impact on recruiting.
The definition of a loyal employee is a person who has worked for your company and has always focused on the success of the company. This includes sacrificing their own time and interest to put more energy into the corporation. These selfless acts are measurable and done on a daily basis. They are dedicated to helping the company grow and prosper beyond setbacks and competitors. It is a genuine effort that has no underlying motive. This goes from making an investment in the company to sacrificing their wellbeing to being extremely passionate towards the company. This is the true image of a loyal worker.
To get a better understanding, take a moment to understand what the foundation of employee loyalty is, and avoid the myths. Just like customer loyalty, employee loyalty matters. Here’s why.
Employee Loyalty in the Company
This is often a two-way situation. If a corporation wants an employee to be loyal and dedicated to the company, a relationship of mutual respect needs to be nurtured; this is especially important today, as loyalty has a completely different meaning than it did twenty years ago. Loyalty used to be a pervasive implicit idea that permeated through your company. It even worked its way into the company’s broader employee recognition, corporate rewards, and marketing communications strategy.
For example, there was a time when people who worked for a company would be overjoyed just to find out that they had been named “employee of the month” or received some sort of recognition from their employer or supervisor. For those who worked for a huge company like a media giant or popular franchise, to have been recognized by the higher-ups was akin to a bonus. This can still be true in today’s times, but it is extremely rare. Now, people expect more from the ones in authority and won’t stand for anything less. This can be good and bad, depending on the corporation’s own values. Instilling loyalty in a worker takes work, and it can push those in authority to be better.
The Qualities of a Loyal Employee
1. Perseverance, Dedication and Leadership
What corporations have to understand is employees work for both the company and themselves. When a worker does their job with all their might and is coming from a genuine place, they are being loyal to themselves as well. Almost everyone has had a moment when they slacked off when the boss wasn’t looking. In some cases, that behavior could’ve been detrimental to the company and the employee’s own motivation. That can develop into a habit and become a big problem pretty quickly.
Truly dedicated people will always go the extra mile because they already have that natural drive in them. They don’t just see the task as just a job to get done. They see it as an opportunity for advancement. A loyal employee will almost always have the natural motivation to do his best and try to get things done as efficiently as possible. This is one of the most perfect ways he can get the company to trust him and respect him.
2. Pride and Respect for the Corporation
If you can feel that the employee has a negative mindset towards their job or the company, it will soon begin to show in their actions. This is something that transfers to almost everything in life. It has been known that people that have animosity towards anyone or anything about their job will either quit or develop some sort of depressive energy if they are not able to quit. This is not just detrimental to your relationship with the employee. This can be bad for business as well.
3. Inquisitive and Ready to Learn
It is always a beautiful thing to see someone that is eager to advance and learn more about something they are passionate about. With so many new advances and improvements happening in the world, it is important for an employee to stay updated and be willing to adapt to the changes. If you notice this in a person, this is a huge sign of dedication.
4. They Don’t Fall for Anything
Every worker is usually there to advance and get better and better at their job for the sake of the company’s growth. If someone claims that they will be working for your corporation for a long time, they don’t just take anything that someone throws at them. It is important to build good connections within the environment. However, it is also crucial to remember that every worker is there to keep themselves above water. It is not a matter of competition. Rather, it is a matter of keeping the third eye open to avoid traps in the workplace.
Why Should Corporations Care About Employee Loyalty?
1. Loyal Employees Push Productivity in the Workplace
As mentioned before, loyal employees already have a natural hunger for improvement and success. They are always coming up with new ways to tackle the challenges of the day and help the company grow. They are always ready and able to work harder and suggest things to improve the environment. To put it simply, they are natural leaders. Other workers that have a low vibration will naturally absorb that energy and emulate that particular employee. Without the leadership, each employee will fall short and tired one after one like dominoes. Before you know it, the workplace might be overflowing with mediocrity.
2. The Customer’s Experience Will Make or Break the Corporation
If the employee is harnessing negative energy, keep an eye on them; it may be infectious. Coworkers, bosses, and even customers can spiral down into negative land. A loyal employee already has respect for the company and prioritizes the values there. If customers continue to have a negative experience from the same person, this can ruin the company’s reputation. Even if it is one customer, in some cases it only takes that one incident to set things off and bring everything to the ground. This reason will build the bridge between customer loyalty and employee loyalty. Customer loyalty is crucial to the company’s productivity and performance. It can act as a chain link reaction. If the employee loyalty is soiled, the customer loyalty is soiled and everything else will soon be the same.
3. Loyalty Improves the Corporation’s Image
Employees matter more than most people think they do. More than half of the company’s image is built by the employees. After all, they are the ones that make the products and carry them under the company’s brand. The easiest way to make sure this is present in the workplace is to ensure that the organization is putting out what they want in return.
4. Employee Loyalty Speeds up Production in a Short Time
When a company is under fire or experiencing a delay in production, loyal workers will always know to stay above water and not give in to the slump. They will stay loyal and dedicated to the organization during all of the ups and downs. They will also work to come up with solutions or ways to keep everyone else motivated as well. This is most prevalent when there is a hiccup in pay or when there’s more work than there are people. Times like this call for serious dedication and perseverance.
5. Employee Loyalty Can Be a Part of the Corporation’s Growth Plan
Every corporation has a plan for growth and improvement. However, not everyone will be able to achieve that. One of the biggest reasons why is because there are always so many employees being fired and so many being hired or re-hired. If there is not a strong presence of employee loyalty in the company, they won’t be willing or interested in working for the corporation long term.
One way to get this improved is to include some type of loyalty revenue in the plan. When employees have been at the job for a certain amount of years, they can receive loyalty revenue and continue to receive it every time they reach a certain year number. If you create a loyalty revenue plan, they will know that you are serious about treating them with respect and care while they are working for you.
6. More People Will Want to Work for the Company
If your employees are being treated well and there is a strong foundation of employee loyalty in the workplace, they will soon be encouraged to spread the word about how well they are being treated. This is especially important for corporations that are currently in a bind with their employees and are constantly losing workers.
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