A survey recently conducted by Towers Perrin, a global professional services firm, reveals that the current economic environment is stirring widespread anxiety among U.S. employees about their job security.
For instance, nearly half (45%) of all survey respondents said they expect their job to change or be eliminated, and even more (55%) believe their future earnings will either plateau or decline.
In this environment, the most important thing that companies can do to increase their employee productivity and loyalty is communicate more with employees and gain a better understanding of their workforce—i.e. their employees’ attitude, opinions, motivation and satisfaction—so that they can help their employees successfully navigate change and increase their employees’ loyalty.
According to research conducted by Dr. Gary Rhoads and Dr. David Whitlark, Allegiance loyalty experts, there are four areas that drive employee loyalty. These are: 1) being helpful; 2) feeling confident and improved; 3) feeling accepted; and 4) feeling respected. Thus, by regularly asking your employees questions related to these areas through surveying, you’ll be able to get into their hearts and minds. And that can make a big difference in increasing employee loyalty and productivity in a down economy.
If you’d like more information on this topic, read our white paper titled “The Top 11 Ways to Increase Employee Loyalty.
Kyle LaMalfa, Best Practices Manager and Loyalty Expert, Allegiance
Excellent post on employee loyalty and employee recognition. It is always a good idea to motivate from within the company to increase productivity and decrease laziness. Finding little original ways to motivate employees should always be right up there with building customer relationships via sales incentives and customer loyalty programs.
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I really love this post. The employee has to have faith in his company and on the contrary, the company needs to work in developing their faith & making it stronger. This is very much necessary when you are experiencing a downfall!
Kyle, Thanks for sharing it with us.
Employee loyalty to management died during the greatest recession of modern times: long live the new employee loyalty.Public and private organizations are into a phase of creative disassembly where constant reinvention and adjustments are constant. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are being shed by Chevron, NUMI, Wells Fargo Bank, HP, Starbucks etc. and the state, counties and cities. Even solid world class institutions like the University of California Berkeley are firing staff, faculty and part-time lecturers. Estimates are that the State of California may jettison 47,000 positions.
Yet many employees, professionals and faculty cling to old assumptions about one of the most critical relationship of all: the implied, unwritten contract between employer and employee.
Until recently, loyalty was the cornerstone of that relationship. Employers promised job security and a steady progress up the hierarchy in return for employees’s fitting in, performing in prescribed ways and sticking around. Longevity was a sign of employeer-employee relations; turnover was a sign of dysfunction. None of these assumptions apply today. Organizations can no longer guarantee employment and lifetime careers, even if they want to.
Organizations that paralyzed themselves with an attachment to “success brings success’ rather than “success brings failure’ are now forced to break the implied contract with employees – a contract nurtured by management that the future can be controlled.
Jettisoned employees are finding that the hard won knowledge, skills and capabilities earned while being loyal are no longer valuable in the employment market place.
What kind of a contract can employers and employees make with each other? The central idea is both simple and powerful: the job or position is a shared situation. Employers and employees face market and financial conditions together, and the longevity of the partnership depends on how well the for-profit or not-for-profit continues to meet the needs of customers and constituencies. Neither employer nor employee has a future obligation to the other. Organizations train people. Employees develop the kind of security they really need – skills, knowledge and capabilities that enhance future employability.
The partnership can be dissolved without either party considering the other a traitor. Loyalty is dead – get used to it.
i cannot tell if i’m having ıssues with my internet connection, or my browser on your website, or what, but the top portion of the website is offset to the right
This has been an issue for a while now but neither companies nor employees seem to want to address the issue.
Whereas I agree that employees need to have some faith that the company has their interest at heart in the ways they operate the business, the company needs to do a better job in demonstrating their loyalty to the employees. After all, employees are any company’s most important asset – they simply would not exist without them.