Employee Loyality !

If you ask for the meaning of ‘employee loyalty’ many suggest things like;

• employees who are devoted for the success of the organization
• employees who work for the best interest of the organization
• employees who do not actively seek alternative employment
• employees who stay longer in the organization
• employees who give 100% effort etc.

But, is that all employee loyalty means?

I have seen employees with 20-30 years of experience in the same organization, stealing from the organization. I have seen people work over 10 years in the organization and after leaving, start talking bad about the organization. I have seen employees who were once devoted for organization, later taking commissions from suppliers.

Loyalty seems to me as very questionable and gray area as even an employee just joined yesterday may act as much as loyal as the employee who had work for 20 years.

Staying longer does not mean loyalty. Doing the right thing while you are in the organization is also does not complete loyalty.

True loyal employees might leave the organization, but still make no harm to the business and its brand. Business secrets are safe with loyal employees even they join another company.

Loyal employees definitely do not sell their experience and business knowledge to direct competitor, or do not bargain with the organization for an increment or promotion in return of not to joining a competitor.

In the other hand, do employees only need to be ‘loyal’?

What about the organization? If an organization expect the employees to do 100% and stay longer, they need to show a similar loyalty to the employees too by ensuring the career growth and improvement of the quality of life of the employee for being loyal.

During the first Covid Lock down in 2020, many corporate heads of Sri Lanka said they can survive the economic downturn and loss of business if the government allow them to cut down the staff. In other words, fire people for the survival of the organization. Then where’s the loyalty? Are those organizations loyal towards employees?

Loyalty must be a two-way process regardless of the number of years behind the name of the employee where the employee give 100% effort for the success of the organization when the organization taking care of the career and personal growth of the employee