Forget Loyalty at Work

Employee loyalty is a wonderful thing to have, but employee stupidity should be expected. Employer loyalty is even a greater thing to have, but employer stupidity should be expected too. I have seen employees and employers get disappointed because of unrealistic expectations. Sometimes, I have been one of both groups. Employees won’t stick with you if you stick it to them as an employer, and the vise-versa is true.

Employee loyalty refers to the dedication, commitment, and positive attitude that employees have towards their organization. It’s characterized by a willingness to stay with the company, go above and beyond, and promote the organization both internally and externally. Loyal employees are typically more engaged, invested in the company’s success, and less likely to seek employment elsewhere. 

Maggie joined Amo Ltd, a startup in tech, following her graduation. Twenty years later, she had this to say: “I have given this Company my best years. I came as a little girl out of school. Now I have children and have been married for 15 years. I have seen the Company grow from us having a one-room office to owning our building. We have stuck together as a family. We had challenges with cash flow, delayed salaries, the tax man knocking on our door, unpaid bills, blackmail, etc. I love it here.” What Maggie didn’t know was that recruitment of her replacement was going on behind her back. One day, she was called for a meeting where she was asked to leave.

Amo Ltd has shown outstanding loyalty to Mubiru, a janitor. The company has paid for his education, school fees for her children, and his mother’s funeral over the last seven years. Mubiru got an offer from a competitor and put in his resignation. He left without any remorse.

In both cases, when loyalty is broken, it hurts both parties. Most Companies or people respond in the same way to broken loyalty- they stop going above and beyond. Relationships become purely transactional. This erodes the culture and hurts customers. In such an environment promises made to staff and customers are taken for granted. But we all know that if you make a promise to consumers and don’t keep it, you are asking for bankruptcy.

In the end, a workplace will compromise on the quality of work, it will have dirty bathrooms and disgruntled customers. Customers are disgruntled because they’ve been told to expect something and then are given less.

Loyalty in workplaces is an empty promise. Companies are judged on results, not loyalty. Leaders should place fairness over loyalty. Do what is best for the Company even if it means letting go of an underperformer who was amazing for the last thirty years. It’s Business!