People want loyalty at work – this is how it works – t3n – digital pioneers

Loyalty is important to many people. (Photo: fizkes / Shutterstock)

No one wants to blindly follow company guidelines anymore. And yet some people desire loyalty. You could start a counter-movement to the Great Resignation.

Many have a split relationship with loyalty. In Germany it sounds like blind allegiance, and we prefer to reject that. At the same time, it sounds like loyalty, connectedness and security: If you are loyal to me and I am loyal to you, then not much can happen to us in this connection.

When I recently asked on social media what job value should characterize the coming months, several surprised me with the desire for loyalty. What is this value doing in the world of work when so many people are striving for self-realization?

The term loyalty comes from the French and initially only refers to decency in relation to rules or laws. So you serve a common goal: These are the rules. We must hold them, as Marc Terenzi said so beautifully with eternity. If everyone does that and behaves fairly towards each other, then a bond develops. In contrast to the paladin, who only divides into good and bad, right and wrong, friend or foe, loyal people will put the relationship in the foreground: I’m not quite sure what you’re doing, but I trust you and our common one Matter.

In the modern working world, we have a hard time with the term. More loyal employees stay with you Loyal to companies or associations longer and do not harm them – but possibly others. Trust enables investment, both in skills and in collaboration. If loyalty leads to trust, then it leads more likely to succeed.

But when loyalty becomes allegiance, creative friction can no longer take place. As a result, teams lose the ability to discover new solutions to problems. And: Loyal employees are less likely to become whistleblowers. Certainly good from the point of view of many companies, socially: stupid.

Difficult number. And yet a trend is emerging: In these days, when people feel insecure in so many areas of their lives, some want the security of loyalty in the company. Maybe this will be a small counter-movement to the Great Resignation, to the big wave of layoffs. Not everyone wants to switch. Some just want to feel safe again. If you overlook these people of all people, you may lose the loyalty of those who could become the hard core of a company.
But how do you make loyalty?

Loyalty may sound like something that subordinates are supposed to bring with them. But it’s not that simple. Loyalty is an investment. People are loyal when they feel seen. These factors can help plan conversations with employees:

Where is the person involved? What is important to him or her? Which failure was still somehow grandiose? Appreciation does not always have to be the big party of success. Appreciation can also mean telling the story of defeat differently. constructive.

But if things go well: celebrate! Of course, that’s not always easy. When a success is named, everyone in front of their webcams gives a quick applause, then the emotional high ends when the zoom tiles turn black. That’s just not enough. If recognition is to lead to loyalty, then it must have consequences in practice. For example, more freedom of choice.

Just because some people seek loyalty doesn’t mean they stop thinking. On the contrary: They want to feel that their skills and experience are in demand. Degrees of freedom create loyalty because nobody really knows if those freedoms will continue in a future job. This makes them a crucial factor in employee retention.

Showing other people that they are seen and valued starts with simply acknowledging what is being accomplished—sometimes regardless of success. Those who feel recognition, appreciation and trust will give back the same – and are more likely to remain loyal in times of crisis. And somehow there is always a crisis.