What is loyalty?
My last post about the lack of stability in modern careers spurred some thoughtful comments about employee loyalty so I thought I would write about that.
Loyalty is a great quality to have as an employee. It means you are always looking out for your employers best interest and that you more than likely work hard for your company. But loyalty can have downsides as well. Is it smart to remain loyal to a company that isn’t loyal to you?
Whether you are talking about a romantic relationship or a professional relationship loyalty is a two way street. And while I think it is good to be a loyal employee, someone who wants to work hard for their employer’s long term success and be there for the long run it is also important to realize when your loyalty is hurting you.
At the beginning of the year I had some personal issues to attend to at home. Of course these personal issues came at a time when life at my job was also very hectic. Luckily, my employer was flexible enough with me to let me take some time off and to let me work a flexible schedule so that I could deal with the personal stuff as well as the job stuff. For example, I would go into work at about 7:30 or 8:00 until about noon, then I would leave for a few hours to attend to the personal issue, then around three I would start working again (from home). I’d then stop working around 5 to do more personal stuff and then I would work from around 8 to about midnight and start again the next day.
If you added up the hours I worked that week it was probably way more than the normal 50 I usually do. However, I didn’t mind, my boss and my employer was being flexible with me, the work needed to be done and being a loyal employee I thought that is what mattered. Then right after the “big project” was complete I was laid off. I don’t believe for a second that it had anything to do with the time I needed to take off for my family. Layoffs were happening all over the country at the time and our department was being restructured. But that is logic talking. My emotions told me that I was loyal to the company and they should be loyal to me – but now they were getting rid of me.
I learned something from this experience. I learned that I owe a company to do my best and work my hardest while I am employed, and they owe me a paycheck and opportunities to learn and grow. This is loyalty. Laying me off was not being disloyal; it was doing what was best for the company at that time. Leaving one job for another that will offer career advancement, additional opportunities to learn or even more money is not disloyal, it is doing what is best for you. Staying in a job that no longer offers these things (with the exception of money, money isn’t everything!) isn’t being loyal it is being stupid, or not caring about your career advancement. Perhaps career advancement isn’t what is important to you. And in that case staying isn’t stupid, it is perfectly fine. But don’t stay in a job simply out of loyalty, stay because it offers you something you need, a paycheck, fulfillment, a short commute, a flexible work schedule or whatever it is you need.
That said, leaving job after job for a bigger paycheck or other small reasons and having absolutely no loyalty is stupid as well. As one person commented on my last post: this will make potential employers question your commitment to your job, and will prevent many employers from hiring you. You should remain loyal to any company that continues to offer you what you require from a career (again whatever that is for you). And you do owe it to your current employers to help them provide what it is you need. For example, you want to learn more about graphic design, ask to be a part of a graphic design project (in addition to your normal responsibilities). The point is let your boss know what your goals are. Chances are they will want to help you meet them, because that is a company’s way of being loyal to you. You work hard and share your goals, they pay you and help you achieve your goals (with training etc.)
But I must reiterate; do not reject new opportunities that will provide you with more of what it is you want if you can no longer get what you need out of your current employer. They will get rid of you if it is best for the company, you shouldn’t hesitate to leave if it is really what is best for you.
October 22nd, 2009 at 3:53 PM
That’s always I’ve always thought. If you leave your company its common to give them a 2 weeks notice, but when you are getting laid off happens immediately.
So I don’t believe you OWE them those 2 weeks, its just a courtesy.
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 PM
I really like the way you presented both sides of this issue. As a long running ‘veteran’ at my company- it’s easy to fall into the trap of being pushed into always doing what’s ‘best for the company’ and before you know it- you’re not doing what’s best for YOU anymore. After a while, you have to take into account that if your company no longer has a need for you, you’ll be gone in the blink of an eye- no matter how many hours or years you’ve given. It’s definitely nice to know when your employer does take into account your longevity at the company, but that shouldn’t be worth everything in determining how long you stay.