The overlooked two-way street: Loyalty in the workplace
Posted on April 01, 2024 by Luis Rivas, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
What does loyalty in the workplace mean to an employee? An organization? Strategically, how can we envision a better workplace by redefining the term?
It’s embarrassing to admit how I got company loyalty totally wrong. In my 28 year nonprofit career, there was a time when I was so blindly loyal to an organization that I stopped being a good employee and turned into the worst aspects of a “company man”. At the time, I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. In my mind, I was simply acting in the company’s best interest because that’s what you did as an employee. What did I do? Easy. I put the organization above all. This manifested when I was managing people (a subtle “us versus them” mentality) and in talking about the company (sing their praises and ignoring all else). I got high marks from the Executive Director and Board for my fierce loyalty, which was awesome until it wasn’t. It all came crashing down, as these situations tend to do. In reality, I did more damage to the staff and culture my blind loyalty than any bad policy would. I was asleep at the leadership wheel. What was worse, is that I stopped seeing staff as individuals, I missed cues as to how the office culture was shaping and re-shaping, and I turned into a caricature in the eyes of many. I thought I was doing everything right in how I was acting and organization leadership didn’t question what I was doing. It was a failure on both our parts. Sadly, I don’t think either party knew better.
Company loyalty is one of the those phrases that means different things to different people and organizations. Employees should take time and think about what company loyalty means to them. Organizations should do the same with the extra care in thinking through what loyalty means through the lens of their unique company culture. As we continue with the ever-changing workplace, we should remember that loyalty is a two-way street.
For companies, loyalty to your employees should be more than recognition programs and a public thank you. Salary considerations not withstanding, organizations need to:
- Develop employees in a holistic manner. Organization leaders should develop staff in their job duties and in their career paths (both in and out of the organization). They (leaders) need to understand that employees don’t grow and flourish in a silo. After all, plants don’t grow with sunshine alone.
- Be proactive in what workers want. Anyone who manages people should be aware of what their employees need and want and, most importantly, remember that one size does not fit all. Flexibility and autonomy in their job roles (real, not just perceived) are what every employee is looking at now. What will everyone be looking at 2 years from now?
For employees, loyalty to your company should be tempered with realistic expectations and outlooks. Employees need to:
- Be honest about what why you are working for a company. Even if you don’t want to stay in the role/company for a decade, you are with them now so be the the best employee you can be. Really think about how that looks like to you.
- Understand that workplaces are not families. A sense of family, a sense of belonging is a great pull. It pulled me in all those years ago. Employees should find their sense of belonging elsewhere and find a sense of balance. If you are thinking “am I too loyal to my company”, chance are you are.
Most importantly for both, though, is that there should be honest feedback and talks about what loyalty means and mechanisms to figure out what to do when things go out of balance.
In subsequent organizations, I was more conscious about blind loyalty to an organization. My inclination to “feel apart of something greater than you” pulls me sometimes in the blind loyalty direction, but I have better support systems now and introspection moments where I step back and try and look at what I am doing with a different set of eyes – knowing and being aware is half the battle.
I’m Luis Rivas, CEO and Managing Director of Quatervois Coaching and Consulting. My hope is that this sparks important conversations in you, your team, and your organization about loyalty. If I can help in any way, you can find me at www.quatervoiscc.com.
