The past few weeks, a number of clients have raised the issue of employee loyalty and it was an eye-opener for me on how some define employee loyalty.
Many expressed disappointment and some even outright anger at their employees for “betraying” them or not having loyalty over issues such as…
- He/She left to join my competition at higher pay (or joining a company I personally hate), what a traitor, if I am in his/her position, I would NEVER have done it.
- I provided continuous training, lots of incentives and rewards, he/she should stay loyal and appreciate what I’ve done for him/her.
I have been an employee, an employer and a headhunter before I was a coach. Here is my perspective on the 2 issues raised with regards to loyalty:
Joining the Competition
Let’s put things in the proper CONTEXT and be objective… if your employee:
- Did his/her job competently when he/she was with you.
- Did not steal any intellectual property, trade secrets or clients/client databases.
- Are “foot soldiers” (for example, therapists, factory workers, graphic designers, technicians, etc) which you usually will not even notice as you walk in and out of your office (except at the time they resigned and you feel betrayed).
In what way did they “betray” you by joining the competition? Or Joining a company you personally dislike?
Trainings, Incentives, Rewards
Again, let’s start with putting things in the proper context:
- If you provided training, you bind them to an employment contract and they completed the contract, they have fulfilled their obligations.
- If they have earned their incentives and rewards, they have performed their duties in a way that entitled them to enjoy the incentives and rewards you provided, both employer and employee fulfilled their terms of employment. Nothing more, nothing less.
Let’s face it – businesses create trainings, incentives and rewards to enable their employees to perform and for their businesses to reap the rewards in profit and freedom for the owners… it’s good business strategy, it’s not charity.
Great leaders are objective, they do not get personal over perceived disloyalty and unmet personal expectations… the end result of not being able to stay objective is you’re very likely to end up hiring “yes-men” and employees without drive and ambition to better themselves…
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