Although companies say they value loyalty, surveys are showing that loyalty among workers is dropping, and that the decline is part of a longer term trend.

What Surveys Show

More than half of managers polled recently said their employers are not as loyal as they were five years ago, according to a survey by the American Management Association. But the same survey revealed that companies still believe loyalty is important. About 20 percent of the managers said that loyalty is an important quality that they strive for in their organizations. More than half said that loyalty, although not deemed among the most important considerations, is still valued at their companies. The rest, about one-fourth, said loyalty was not a big consideration at their companies.

But many of those taking part in the survey said that their company leadership needs to make loyalty an important part of the business, showing its importance and trying to instill it among workers. Loyalty is seen as key if the organization is to achieve its goals. It is also a necessary if workers are going to be motivated to do the best job that they can.

Management sees a lack of loyalty leading to an array of problems – more absenteeism from work, problems retaining workers, and lower quality of work.

Loyalty and Engagement

But these days, management is more likely to roll the idea of loyalty into the larger issue of worker engagement, which includes not only the employees’ feelings about the company but about their jobs as well.

Some business experts speculate that employers incorporate loyalty into the engagement concept because they are embarrassed about the issue themselves, in light of the fact that employers are more prone to lay off workers and add to employee workloads. The idea of spending an entire career at one company, which was much more commonplace in the past, is no longer given much consideration by companies.

And workers sense the change as well, believing that employers are less loyal toward workers than in the past. Almost half of the employees responding to the survey believe their company is not as loyal as in the past.

To maintain worker loyalty, companies need to walk the walk – paying their workers competitive salaries, providing a safe work environment, giving opportunities for career development, and paying attention to employee feedback.

If your company is looking for workers who can make an impact, contact Winston Resources. We have the people and the expertise to provide you with qualified, reliable workers. Give Winston a call tod