Study: Growing Number of Employees Are Not Loyal

Inside Indiana Buisness ^ | 9/7/07 | Walker Information

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Funny how the article never bothers to define “loyalty”. Here’s the basic definition: loyalty = stupidity. I.e., not demanding a raise, not causing trouble, not saying what you think. Being a mindless drone. I’m glad the “loyalty” numbers are going down.

I agree with this - employers are in business to make money and return their shareholders' investments. Employees are there to make money and advance their careers. These goals aren't necessarily advanced for either side when employees value loyalty to the company over their own personal advancement. Especially in a culture as individualistic as America's, I'm surprised that the life-time employee in the gray flannel suit was ever considered typical or a model employee.

[IronJack]

Loyalty from corporation to worker does not exist. It is a fallacy created to coax loyalty from worker to corporation. No officer in an American company is going to go to his bean-counters and tell them that the company can't let 20 percent of the workforce go because of "loyalty." If it results in a couple of million dollars' savings annually, those workers are as good as gone, and loyalty be damned.

But if an employee gets a better offer, and his departure leaves the company in a lurch, he will get the sad puppy-dog look, and hand-wringing bs about the burden he's leaving the company with. Or worse yet, the "I thought we were a family" lecture.

Okay, Dad. If we're a family, let me use the credit card.

[wbill]

Regarding pay....

I was outsourced by a former employer to a large Global Services company. Basically, I changed employers and kept the same desk.

This large global services company is notoriously bad to work for. There was a stampede for the exits (I was one of the first 2 to go.....Out of roughly 200, I'd estimate that 150 left). It's been over three years, and those that have stayed have not gotten a raise in that time frame. Not a whole lot of loyalty there....

I can't speak for all of those that have left, but at least I, and a few I keep up with, seem to be doing pretty well. Fair pay may not equate to happiness, but unfair pay will certainly result in misery.

As an afterword, the company that originally got rid of all of us is screaming because it has lost its entire IT knowledgebase. They're looking to cut ties with the outsourcing firm, last I heard. That's smart, the few people that are left that have any legacy knowledge will go along with the cut.

Fools, all.

[freekitty]

If employees weren’t always threatened with losing their jobs. I know there is a cutting edge; but with all the bs and new rules written by lawyers; you can rarely get a job anymore without having to go through an employment agency.

[Mr. Jeeves]

As an afterword, the company that originally got rid of all of us is screaming because it has lost its entire IT knowledgebase.

I would say 90% of American corporations have no concept of the importance of the IT knowledge base to their continued existence - to them it's just another service to be outsourced like janitorial and gardening. They only find out once it's too late, after they've already done something stupid. ;)

The few companies who really do get it are moving into dominant positions in their industries.

[PCBMan]

I’ve worked for 6 companies in the last 10 years. I was loyal to them. It didn’t get me anywhere with any of them.

[DoughtyOne]

I know what you mean.

What I’d like to refer to is the overtasking that takes place. You tell your managers, these are your duties. Then you give them too little staff, too little time to do it in and assign special projects on top of that.

Then you come back by months or years later and remind the manager that corporate and state inspections will be taking place, and ask to see all the paperwork they’ve documented compliance with.

They know damned well you didn’t do it because you don’t even have time to meet the day to day requirements.

Then they replace you and start over with the next guy. After three replacements in consequitive quarters, you’d think the corporate folks might begin to get the picture. And then you realize, this is the picture.

They know all this. It’s the dynamic they want. Keep those wages low. Keep the staff in continual termoil. If we lose a few accounts, it’s okay. We’re making gazillions.

I hate to say it, but this is my observation.

[chadwimc]

My loyalty extends to my next pay check...

[Mr J]

There’s no such think as unilateral loyalty — the word for that is subservience.

[donna]

LOL! Congratulations! That’s a wonderful story.

(Way better than where I was headed, har.)

[Hunble]

I have been on both sides, and as a rule, your loyalties extend to the next paycheck.

With a small company, we live or die together!

I am so damn proud of my company and everyone in it. They trusted me when I needed it the most, and today, the company is now ready to release a new product.

This is how is should be!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

In today’s market, when many employees do not get a pension, have limited health benefits and only have a 401K offered for their retirement, it pays for the employee to constantly be seeking better employment... up the chain with better options. If this means they move from job to job seeking more financial security, instead of waiting for an elusive promotion, so be it.

[Williams]

First, employers simply are not "loyal" to employees in most cases. Second, the stories posted here reflect a trend in business. The baby boomers and their kids were spoiled brats who have a sense of entitlement. they are good at covering their rears NOT at producing results. This equals managements that are not "loyal" to the company or anyone else.

A very wise fellow I knew from the pre war generation saw this coming and thought the boomers would fail at business. But he then realized that business would continue recruiting from the available pool, even if that pool had very poor qualities. this had disastrous consequences for many American businesses.

[Williams]

I’ve met too many managers, usually little wise asses, who brag about how much they enjoy firing people. They will beg to be the one to lay someone off. Who’s going to be loyal to that?

[Natural Law]

Loyalty in employment is a bidirectional proposition. When corporations believe that people are expendable they can’t be surprised when loyalty is mutually one pay check deep.

[freekitty]

Yep, and don’t forget all those meetings on diversity and whatever else they can think up.

[donna]

Corporations and multi-nationals are just legal entities create to avoid taxes and personal liability. They are cold-hearted amoral bureaucracies.

Free enterprise is supposed to be about companies owned by real people who care about their civic duties and doing right by both their customers and employees.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes, I’ve met a few of them myself.

[TexanToTheCore]

Employee loyalty died in the 90s. I am surprised that 34% are truly loyal. They are probably underpaid.

[DoughtyOne]

Too true...