Mark Twain once said: “Always be loyal to your country. Be loyal to the government when it deserves it.” When it comes to the employment, it is sometimes difficult for both employers and employees to understand whether they should treat the other party as a country or a government. There is no right answer. This does not mean that we should not understand the importance of loyalty and its benefits.
What is loyalty?
When we think about the word loyalty, we often think of a soldier going on a mission from which he is unlikely to return because he is loyal to his country. Or a dog – it follows its owner and stays by his side no matter what happens. That’s blind loyalty, we won’t talk about this one. When it comes to the employment, mutual loyalty is what turns stones into diamonds.
We often say that loyalty has to be earned, not given. But if both sides want the other to earn it, who will make the first move? Or how long will it take for both sides to be loyal to each other?
Employer-employee loyalty is proportional to employer growth and employee satisfaction. And when we think about it, is there really anything more important for both sides?
How can employers encourage loyalty of their employees?
Every employer in 21. century should know about indicators such as turnover, productivity and employee satisfaction. And probably the best way to reduce employee turnover and increase their productivity and satisfaction is to be loyal to them.
Let’s say you need one more person for a manager position. Don’t hire a manager from outside the company. They may know a lot about managing the people, but they know nothing about your company. Instead, try to turn one of your best employees into a great manager. You may think you’re wasting your time mentoring and training, but you’re actually building loyalty. On the one hand, you are investing time in a person who has potential and whom you trust. And on the other hand, you’re showing all your employees that you’re helping people in your company grow and giving the opportunity when someone deserves it.
Did your company make 25% more profit this year without having higher expenses? You can finally afford that beach house in Mallorca, a new car or something else that brings you joy. But maybe that’s not the right decision. You should remember that none of this was possible without your employees. Companies have given you a lot – you should give it back to them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bonus, a pay rise or team building. It is important to show that you value your employees. And that will lead to even better results next year!
How can employees increase the loyalty?
Do you think it doesn’t matter how you do at work as long as you get your pay on time? Do you think the people you work with are the company’s clients, not yours? When you make a small mistake, do you tell yourself that you’re only human and it’s normal, instead of trying to fix it? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you have no one to blame but yourself for not getting more money or being unhappy at work.
First, you need to understand that a company’s greatest asset is its employees. As an employee, you don’t actually work for the company – the employees are the company! When a company’s customers are happy, they bring in more customers. The company grows and you grow with it.
Secondly, it doesn’t matter if you’re productive or unproductive – you’re at work the same 8 hours a day. These 8 hours are not company time – it’s your time! You can spend 8 hours trying to look busy and basically be wasting your time. Or you can actually do your job well – it doesn’t cost you anything, but it can bring you a lot.
According to recent studies, 93% of people are likely to make a repeat purchase from a company that has excellent customer service. This number drops to 78% if you make a mistake, but the customer service is still good. Did you also know that increasing the number of customers by 5% can increase profits by up to 95%?
However, more than 60% of people say they turned to a competition because of a negative experience. After more than one negative experience, more than 80% would prefer a competition.
As you can see, employees make or break a company. Keep in mind that you are an integral part of this company – you would be hurting yourself too!
How do we increase loyalty?
In the company Atena we believe in the principle of“practice what you preach“. Every year we spend a lot of time looking for ways to keep our employees and business partners happy. We realize how important it is to be proactive when it comes to loyalty. That is why we do not shy away from being the first party to show loyalty.
Every year we simplify, speed up and make the cooperation with our business partners more effective. Regarding our employees, we organise teambuilding events, provide many bonuses and other ways for employees to increase their income. But most importantly, we treat them with respect because we know that without our partners and employees, we would not be the company we are today.
