Can loyalty be bought?Both survey r

Can loyalty be bought?
Both survey respondents and HR professionals were asked this question to explore whether employees would give their loyalty as a result of getting a specific reward, i.e. higher salary, excellent benefits, a flexible schedule. In addition, the survey explored factors that influence loyalty. The group was split on whether loyalty could be bought, with 63 percent of the employees and 20 percent of the HR professionals saying, "Yes." Those saying "No" generally felt that an important distinction was that loyalty must be "earned."

When asked what influenced their loyalty, employees were in strong agreement (97 percent) that the most important influence is job satisfaction. Several of their responses provided a clear understanding of what this means in today's workplace, including challenging work, opportunities for advancement, professional growth and development, recognition and respect, and a flexible work environment.

The next two most important factors were relationships with their managers (80 percent), and with their peers (73 percent). Some of their comments demonstrate the impact of these factors: "My director left the company, so there was no real reason to stay." "I am loyal to the people I work with and don't want to let them down. Changing management and reorganizing groups lowers my loyalty and performance." "At first my loyalty was very high, but when my manager and VP decided they were no longer committed, my loyalty went right down." And "I'm extremely loyal to the people I'm responsible for and the people I work with. Because of my loyalty to the vice president, I would go to any division and do whatever needed to be done to help that division."

A second group of important factors included: salary (70 percent), family considerations (67 percent), and lastly, corporate benefits (56 percent) which placed seventh on the list. The most common examples of family considerations were: a flexible work schedule following the birth of a child, time away from work to schedule doctor appointments and other personal matters, and empathetic support during times of personal and family crises.

When we asked the HR professionals to rate the same factors in terms of what they felt were important to employees, they ranked their top three choices in order of priority as benefits, job satisfaction, and peer relationships and family considerations equally.

The difference in the ranking of benefits between the two groups may be a wake up call for HR. As stated by Susan Glover, director of human resource operations at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, "People today expect regular benefits, health, insurance and retirement plans. Now you have to go beyond those to build loyalty."