I intended to write an article today about office potlucks and how they are the bane of my existence (to come at a later date), but I ended up in a discussion recently regarding the level of loyalty employees have to their employers, of which, is rarely reciprocated. My close friends and colleagues are well aware of how passionate I am about leadership and constructive behavior in the workplace. It is with this, Chris Brown’s song, ‘Loyal’ came to mind.

There is a mutual descent of loyalty in the working world today. Companies are outsourcing, avoiding the maternity/paternity leave conversation, bucking against flex time, decreasing overhead as much as possible, and the list goes on. At the same time, employees are taking on entrepreneurship opportunities and hopping to various companies as they see fit. Being in recruiting for over a decade I can truly see both sides of the coin. I have experienced the pain of organizational disloyalty and it definitely hurts the workforce in a major way.

While loyalty and trust is a two-way street, the bigger part of that burden in my opinion, is on leadership. A major gap in employee/employer trust is lack of sufficient leadership. In HR you see everything, for the most part, and a majority of relational issues in the workplace stem from inadequate management. I’ve have been exposed to so many companies where managers do not get the necessary training to manage people, especially in a way that is human and understanding. I’m not stating that people should be able to do whatever they want and the company just has to deal with it. Depending on the environment, if a company has a person working above capacity, meeting deadlines, attracting clients, and making a positive change in the bottom line, why wouldn’t said company want to be flexible and extend a few liberties to encourage the employee to stay the course.

This is where loyalty comes in. For the employees that put their all into their work, as much as they think it counts towards their future, companies don’t seem to hesitate when they make changes and send employees home with a pink slip and severance. Employees seem to have gotten a good glimpse into this scenario, which leads us to the “job hopper.” I hear so many hiring managers say, “I don’t want to see candidates who switch jobs every 18-24 months.” I understand the sentiment but as I mentioned, many companies lack the leadership to retain loyal employees, don’t foster growth and development, or provide resources to be successful. In those cases, I would have left the company too. On the other hand, employees shouldn’t be so quick to throw away the benefit of the doubt with regards to their employers, creating a track record of not being able to complete things long-term (a top reason for a rejection when pursuing a job these days).

The best way to build a bridge of loyalty and trust is to be open and honest. Lots of things can be solved if employers and employees have conversations from the beginning that foster a healthy and trustworthy relationship.

What are your thoughts on loyalty in the workplace? Share in the comments.