Loyalty, Slavery or Competence?

The modern workplace has become increasingly transformational from the post-war era when employees stayed until they retired with an employer. A farewell party was thrown, with a gold watch, and a good pension cheque. The dramatic change begs the question: What happened to the employee loyalty? “The balance of power continues to shift backwards and forwards. Sometimes the employer doesn’t need to make such an effort. They need to make that effort now,” Wharton management professor Matthew Bidwell said.

Janice Bellace, a Wharton professor of legal studies and business ethics, thinks loyalty is an outmoded concept. Instead, companies should be making sure that employees “feel engaged and well treated.” “Loyalty implies something more about the relationship” being reciprocal, she said. “If you’re at a company and feel productive and properly treated, you may still go to another company if they pay you 20% more. But if people feel very engaged and well treated, they not only will feel productive, they will want to stay.”

Employee Loyalty — A Tale of the Past?

Terms such as ‘submissive’, ‘subservient’, ‘Yes Man’ and above all, ‘corporate slave’ have more or less become acceptable in today’s corporate vocabulary. A few key questions that we must ask ourselves:

1. Why even in the 21st century, organisations are hiring this category of employees?
2. To narrow it down further, in which corporate sectors, such characteristics are still in demand?
3. Why this particular category of employees happens to stay longer in the companies they work for.

The short answer, in my experience, is that in most cases, such employees lack competence, initiative and qualifications. They are scared of the transition from their Comfort Zone to Growth Zone. When we look at the younger people or popularly known as ‘Gen Zers’ who are ready to enter into the job market don’t even look at a large, established organisation and think, “I wonder where I’ll fit in your complex picture.” Rather, they look at an employer and think, “I wonder where you will fit in my life story.”

Every step of the way, twentysomethings want to find a work situation they can fit into the kind of life they are building for themselves. Indeed, their typical career path will be a long series of short-term and transactional employment relationships: “What do you want from me? What do you have to offer in return now and for the foreseeable future? I’ll stay here as long as it’s working out for both of us.”

In this article, we will now attempt to highlight how to treat and retain employees:

1. Walk the Talk

Today’s employees aspire to see their leaders in action, leading by example. When our actions actively work against the things what we say (whether in direct conversation or through the creation or enforcement of company policies), we’re going to be viewed as mere talkers, not doers.

We see more than ever that, to fully motivate, engage, and bring out the best in people, unconventional bosses “walk-the-talk” of leadership are instilling more human value at work and developing more human-centered workplaces for competitive advantage. These innovative management practices that appeal to the hearts and minds of employees whatever generation, are actually common sense, but not common practice.

2. Work Ethics — The #1 Prerequisite

When it comes to employment, there is one must-have trait (among others such as dependability and self-motivation) that 73% of companies desire the most in their candidates. Can you guess what it is? It’s work ethic. Imagine the employers expect this from their prospect employees and what if the work ethic isn’t part of the DNA of the employers?

Prejudice, Bias, Loya and Nepotism can lead to conflict between the bosses and employees and even between the co-workers. If we favor one employee over another it can cause an abrupt and negative commotion in the organization. Others may also feel demotivated since their efforts weren’t recognized. As a result, it may cause lesser diversity in work culture and lower team morale.

3. Speak Less, Listen More

Due to multitasking, most bosses are poor listeners. Listening is indeed a hard work, especially to concentrate, to avoid faking and being positive, concerned, sincere and above all being patient. It’s a challenge to be a good listener. But the rewards are bigger.

As they say: “Active listening solves half of the problem”. It’s great if we actively hear out our employees and incorporate their feedback into our strategies. That means paying attention to our employees and reciprocating by listening to them when they share ideas.

4. Give Credit Where It’s Due

We all want to feel appreciated, yet not everyone is acknowledged for their work. Research from HubSpot revealed that 69% of employees would work harder if they felt their efforts were acknowledged.

Employees won’t feel valued if their efforts aren’t being recognized, which results in demotivation. So, let’s make sure that we give credit where and when its due. Let’s acknowledge and recognise employees’ efforts when they’ve done a commendable job. Recognition and acknowledgement doesn’t mean assigning more tasks without any reward.

5. Be Empathetic

In Tim Cook’s 2017 MIT commencement address, he warned graduates, “People will try to convince you that you should keep empathy out of your career. Don’t accept this false premise.” The Apple CEO is not alone in recognizing and emphasizing the importance of empathy — the ability to share and understand others’ emotions — at work. At the time of his remarks, 20% of United States employers offered empathy training for managers. In a recent survey of 150 CEOs, over 80% recognized empathy as key to success.

According to studies carried out by the Development Dimensions International (DDI), empathy is the biggest single leadership skill needed today. In a global survey DDI discovered that the top ten performing businesses in the 160 studies the “Global Empathy Index” generated 50% more net income than the bottom ten performers. According to the Wall Street Journal, 20% of employers now offer empathy training which is up substantially from ten years prior.

Wrap Up

Precisely, sometimes some employees allow their employability and loyalty to converge into slavery. True unfiltered allegiance may have been an attractive character trait in corporate sector in the past few decades but now and in future, it’s going to hard to find.

At the same time, candidates will have no choice but to upskill themselves. They should be on the driving seat where they want to work for a certain organisation or not and that too, on their terms and conditions. That can only be achieved through employee competence, knowledge of the industry and new thinking.

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About the Author

Muhammad Sajwani is a C-Level HR, Transformation Leader, Board Advisor, Business Coach & Organisational Consultant working in the capacity of Managing Director, Evolve HR. He is an author, columnist and a contributor who besides writing for other platforms also regularly writes at BizCatalyst 360. He brings along 30+ years of local & international experience. He is a change catalyst specializing in unleashing the human Dreamgenius through Leadership, Creativity and Change Management. Muhammad has been instrumental in helping organizations come to terms with organizational changes like right-sizing and business process re-engineering. His innovative approach & high personal competence encourages people to not only accept change, but also to excel in it. Muhammad has diverse experience in conducting strategic & management development programs, conferences & events for organizations across sectors.