Want loyal employees - start with yourself

The employee’s loyalty to the employer is expressed in the employee’s positive and trusting attitude to the company, sincere desire to work and sometimes even perform more than indicated in the job description. It's no secret that often people do not trust employers, work exclusively within the framework of their duties and to receive the agreed salary. Such employees are uninitiated and it is not surprising that every employer dreams of others - “loyal” employees. But not all employers understand that employee loyalty begins with the employer's significant efforts to gain self-confidence. In this article I will talk about typical situations in which employers who seek the loyalty of their employees find themselves.



I help companies in the selection of qualified IT specialists, the search for which is always difficult. In recent years, I have deeply studied the problems of hiring and adapting new employees, the reasons for unsuccessful hiring and dismissals, the processes of work within companies, and assisted in adapting new employees. She worked with both Russian and international companies. My experience allows me to compare and understand the problems of employers.

Situation No. 1 - Employee expectations do not coincide with reality

When an employee just comes to a company, he is as loyal to her as possible. The employee consciously passed the interview and independently made a decision to work in the company, having studied the information about the company and work processes. Further, a new employee begins to work, is actively involved in work processes, and he develops his understanding of the company and the feeling of himself within its structure.

This usually takes no more than one month. At this time, the employee compares his expectations, formed during the hiring process, with real work experience. If the company meets the expectations of the employee, then he will come to work with pleasure and feels himself part of the company. Then he is ready to be not just a part of the company's business mechanism, but also ready to take on more than he is obligated under an employment contract. The employee believes that the company will respond to his loyalty, will be grateful, give a bonus, and increase his position over time.
Generally speaking, an employment contract does not oblige an employee to be loyal. The contract prescribes to work within the framework of the agreed obligations and receive the agreed salary for this. Therefore, any loyal actions of the employee should be rewarded. So employees feel their relationship with the employer.

But, unfortunately, it often happens that expectations do not coincide with reality. For example, in cases where the company initially misled the future employee. At the interview and during employment, they told and promised one thing, but in fact it turned out another. The employee has a feeling that he was deceived, and then he usually makes one of two decisions. Or he quits right away. Or, if life circumstances require, he is delayed for some time. However, as soon as the opportunity arises to change jobs, he does so - suddenly for the employer and irrevocably. You cannot build a healthy relationship with an employee based on deception. Loyalty is built on trust.

What the employer can do:

1. Do not mislead candidates and do not cheat on working conditions and career prospects.
2. Be interested in the impressions of employees, especially during the adaptation period.
3. Demonstrate care and trust in employees in the details.
4. Encourage initiative and loyalty.

Case 2 - Poorly structured and opaque workflows

A company is a society in which an employee spends a significant part of his active time. It is important that the interaction within the team is comfortable.

This does not mean that the employee comes to work to "relax", but it is completely not interesting for him to strain too much. The employee expects that they will show and explain to him, give instructions and tools for work, show who to contact for advice or in case of problems. All this means that the company has adequate work processes. An employee can work effectively, showing their potential for completing their professional tasks, and not for solving quests - who to contact in which situation.

A typical problem inherited from the “Soviet” management is that professionals who are well aware of their specialty but poorly competent in management issues are often appointed to leading posts. This leads to opaque workflows, "manual control" and the involvement of absolutely everything on the person of the leader. If the manager is busy, ill or absent, then none of the employees knows what to do. As a rule, such a leader is forced to show authoritarian ways, and many situations should be decided by “personal example”.

Another common option is when the leader eliminates himself from the life of the team and does not participate in the settlement of disputes and conflicts in the team. His position is “sort it out yourself, the main thing is give me the result.” Then usually an informal leader appears who begins to establish work processes according to his “concepts." In difficult situations, employees do not know how to behave - either according to official instructions, or according to the rules of an informal leader. And there are many more such examples, poorly organized work processes.

The main thing is that in such unhealthy teams employees experience daily stress. Even the most loyal employee eventually begins to hate his job and is looking for an opportunity to leave the team. Often this happens due to a change in employer. A sudden dismissal may look unexpected for top management, but it is quite natural, given the current situation.

What the employer can do:

1. Considerable attention should be paid to the professional training of managers.
2. Leading positions should be occupied by people with both managerial experience and good communication skills and emotional intelligence.
3. Workflows should be clear and documented. Job description is not just a formality, but an effective tool that helps in the work.
4. To collect and analyze the feedback of employees regarding the organization of work processes.

Situation 3 - Rejection of criticism from employees

If an employee criticizes the employer, it means that he is still loyal. He believes that his criticism can change something. When an employee stopped expressing his attitude to the employer and “closed”, this means that his departure is just a matter of time.

In the process, the employee not only notes the good, but also the bad. Of course, he may be wrong or not fully understand the situation. However, by listening to criticism, you relieve tension. You can also explain the situation, point out factors that the employee did not take into account. By giving an opportunity to speak out and listening to criticism, you definitely increase employee loyalty. Criticism is not always constructive, but after listening to it, you can find opportunities to improve the atmosphere in the team. Unanswered questions and suggestions are always bad. If an employee criticizes, it means he is a fan of the common cause, the company is not indifferent to him and he wants it to become better.

A common mistake made by many companies is to consider criticism a "toxic effect."

Ignoring criticism usually leads to its increase. Criticism will not be toxic if you have a channel for receiving complaints and suggestions. A disgruntled employee will not get colleagues with his complaints, if you have a “box for complaints and suggestions,” and if so, then any of the colleagues will indicate a whiner on this feedback sending channel.

It is often convenient for an authoritarian leader to “survive” a disgruntled employee and get him fired. So an illiterate manager solves his problem, but for the company as a whole, staff turnover is hardly a profitable undertaking.

What the employer can do:

1. Create a channel to collect criticism and suggestions - a box of complaints and suggestions.
2. Regularly analyze incoming complaints and suggestions, publicly respond to them, given some (or all) of them.
3. Analyze the real reasons for the dismissal of their own free will.
4. Teach managers how to work with criticism.

In this article, I described only 3 problems, which in my opinion are the most common.
If you have encountered other mistakes of employers, be sure to write about it in the comments.

It will also be interesting for me to learn about how your company increases employee loyalty.