What is loyalty? The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as faithful to a person to whom allegiance or affection is due and faithful to a cause or ideal. Unshakeable loyalty is a rare trait. So, when we see examples of it in our daily lives, we usually don’t forget it, ever!
What does loyalty look like?
There’s a great story about a dog named Fido who showed that kind of loyalty. Carlo Soriani was an Italian labourer who lived in Borgo, San Lorenzo, Italy. One day, he spotted an injured dog on the street. He took it home and brought it back to health. He called the dog “Fido’ meaning “I trust” in Latin. Fido became so attached to Carlo that everyday when Carlo went to work, Fido accompanied him to his bus stop in the morning and waited there all day to greet Carlo at the same bus stop at the end of his workday. When Carlo died during a Second World War bombing at his workplace, the dog continued to go to the bus stop every evening for 14 years, waiting for his friend. That’s loyalty.
What loyalty does to us
When we’re shown that kind of loyalty, it makes us feel like someone is on our side and we’re protected and valued. We also feel that we can trust that person to have our backs. So in return, we’re a lot more likely to do the same for them if the opportunity comes up.
You get what you give
During these times when employees with valuable skills can market themselves online and be targeted by employers 24/7, smart employers need to up their game when it comes to retention.
If organizations want employee loyalty, they need to give it through their work culture. As noted in a Deloitte.com article written by Josh Bersin, Jason Flynn, Art Mazor and Veronica Melian called, The Employee Experience: Culture, Engagement and Beyond, “understanding and improving the employee experience is critical for companies operating in a highly competitive global economy.” Here a few ways to create a culture that stimulates employee loyalty:
Creating a culture that increases employee loyalty and job satisfaction should be high on every organization’s priority list. The reason: It’s proven to keep the best talent. By being able to count on them for a long time, it consequently leads to organizational stability, and in turn, success. Who wouldn’t want that?
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