Loyalty changes over timeWhen asked

Loyalty changes over time
When asked if their loyalty had changed during their careers, 80 percent of the respondents indicated that it had. A little more than half of this group felt they were less loyal to their current companies than in the past, a third felt more loyal, and the rest considered themselves as loyal today as they had been in the past, but based their loyalty on new requirements.

Several factors contributed to decreased levels of loyalty. They include downsizing, mergers, low job satisfaction and a change in personal priorities from company to family and friends.

Interestingly, the impact on loyalty of downsizing and mergers was not from the actual loss of jobs. Rather the decrease is a result of the lack of communication between employees and managers. All of our respondents felt it was critically important that companies have ongoing, timely and honest communication with their employees about both good and bad news. One employee said, "I get frustrated when upper management manipulates news just to get a particular spin and invoke a certain mood with employees. We're intelligent folks—we can separate spin from facts."

One of the chief reasons for diminishing loyalty over a period of time was that hard work and extra effort are assumed, or required, as the norm by the organization, rather than being recognized and rewarded. These employees view the contributions that go "above and beyond" as discretionary, and want to be valued and respected for choosing to work longer hours, taking on increased responsibilities and giving superior service.

Those who indicated an increase in their loyalty cited high job satisfaction, recognition for a job well done and a company culture that supports a work/family balance. Again, women in our sample talked about being recognized for their contributions, as well as working in companies that supported them in times of personal need and offered opportunities for growth and development. One respondent wrote, "I believe loyalty is derived from personal and organizational success. My loyalty is highest when I have high job satisfaction and see the organization succeeding."

Take note, HR: Being valued and respected by one's employer is even more important in developing and maintaining loyalty than the company's work/family benefits. The good news is that loyalty can be influenced by things as simple and inexpensive as getting individual feedback on a job well done, being thanked for working longer hours or being part of the decision making process.

Two of our HR respondents, Gary Beisaw, director of ShopLink, Inc., a personal services company in Westwood, Massachusetts and Art Sharkey, director of human resources, Shipley Corporation, a chemical manufacturing company in Marlboro, Massachusetts, have a different view of loyalty in the 90's.

Beisaw says, "In this tight job market, loyalty has taken a back seat as people are more opportunistic. People are more short-term focused. If you think you're making only a two- to three-year commitment, it changes your level of loyalty. Both companies and employees think in terms of short-term commitments today."

Sharkey says he feels loyalty is less important today than other considerations in managing people in the workplace. "I'm not a big fan of loyalty. I want employees to be happy or at some time they may need to leave even if they're loyal," says Sharkey. "Having employees a long time is important, but longevity does not lessen the importance and need to meet performance goals."

Sharkey explains that some turnover is inevitable, and in some cases even desirable. He looks closely at the reasons given for leaving. In most cases the company sees "good people leave for good reasons." Examples of this include moving to shorten a commute, following a spouse, returning to former employers in even better positions and accepting positions after being recruited by Shipley's customers.