Trust and Loyalty: Avoiding the Great Resignation
The Lede
In November of 2021, a record number of individuals in the United States quit their jobs. Aptly named The Great Resignation, 4.5 million individuals have filed for job divorce.
How is it that things got this collectively bad and why is this happening now? A number this large should cause us to pause and reflect on how we can reform our workplaces to avoid succumbing to this troubling trend.
Nela Richardson, the chief economist at ADP, makes an interesting observation regarding these numbers; she says, “This is a moment where employers will have to rethink what loyalty means and how to retain workers beyond merely a paycheck.”
Perhaps this is because the fabric of our work-lives is comprised of more than simply the number on our paychecks. The truth is that the answer doesn’t lie in whether we’re working remotely or not, or how many times we’re on a Zoom call that could have been a meeting. Instead, it's about the tiny stitches that piece together our reason for staying. Or, in other words: it's about trust, loyalty, and respect.
In conversations about business and loyalty, we often equate loyalty to the company itself; however, it is the people within companies who display loyalty and earn the trust and respect of their teams. As we all know but sometimes forget, companies are comprised of a collection of teams and these teams are simply made up of real people. So it isn’t an enterprise that is nice or funny, but rather, the people within it. It isn’t a company that has a great culture or is inclusive, it is the people within it. The same applies to loyalty: loyalty is built by the individuals who stand behind a brand or a company name.
Trust, respect, and loyalty are the foundation for why some people leave and others stay which is why we have to remember that finding and quitting a job is about more than the job itself: it is about the relationships at the job and the life as a result. In some ways, searching for a job is a lot like trying to find your partner. Some of us find them online, others get connected through mutual friends, and others have a Hallmark-worthy story.
Regardless of how we find our jobs, most of us possess a similar desire for meaning and connection within them. And when that need is not fulfilled, we risk a painful job (or team) divorce.
In Rick Watzman's book The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America, Watzman features Kodak as having one of the most successful employee retention rates- with the average worker staying up to 20 years at the company! The secret? You guessed it: loyalty. It has been said that the founder, George Eastman “knew that there was only one way to create loyalty, and that was to be loyal.”
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One of our biggest mistakes in the workplace is assuming loyalty is static. We assume that employment itself produces company loyalty. In reality, loyalty ebbs and flows- it is built by a series of small one-degree shifts within the workplace that contribute to the overall environment and experience. Building loyalty is far from a one-step wonder- it is a series of small shifts we must consciously choose to make. It must be continually nurtured and repeated over time.
The bottom line is this:
Loyalty is earned, NOT assumed.
There are practical methods for us to implement building loyalty within our workplaces.
For example:
While these may seem apparent, they are often overlooked and rarely practiced. Loyalty is the best tool we own for fighting back against the Great Resignation- so, let's work together to use it.
Questions:
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Helping leaders invest in well-being, with a holistic lens, to prevent burnout. Founder, The Nourished Executive | Coach | Holistic Nutritionist | Mentor | Connector
2yGreat article Eric! So true loyalty is earned. These past two years have highlighted for many that they want to harmonize life. Yes work is important but not at all costs. People are making different choices. We want meaning and connection in the teams we are part of.
Facilitating the building of High-Performing Non-Profits | Strategic Planning Facilitation | Strategy Implementation Support | Elevating Female Leaders |
2yGreat article. Creating a culture of trust and loyalty is indeed essential. I think though, taking a systems thinking approach, we should not overlook that the pandemic reminded many to think about things in life they value the most. This may have caused many to reconsider their career path. Also having to take care of children during school hours directly impacted those whose job did not allow them to work from home, many of whom are essential workers.
General Manager @ TNDC | PT MBA Candidate | PMP | Driving Business Success
2yGreat article Eric. I agree, so much comes down to the people themselves, not the company. That's too often forgotten, especially when the turnover "panic button" is hit.
Facilities trusted advisor who aligns the performance of people, process, and technology in the built environment
2yEric Termuende: I think 4.5 million and counting is partly the direct result of the pressures and stresses that COVID has exerted on what were perhaps already weaker and easily broken bonds between employers and employees. With over 800k dead in this country alone, the impacts of that collective trauma, the homeschooling, and otherwise just meeting the stresses and prolonged demands presented by #workfromhome have been so widespread and to such a degree that 4.5 m seems reasonable. Everyone asks how your weekend was, but how many really care? Twenty years ago, a visiting Czech couple in our church who were temp attaches to the embassy here in DC once said, "everyone in the US asks how we are, but no one really seems to want to hear the answer...". If an employee was struggling due to a death, illness, or stress over the past two years, what real concern was demonstrated and what meaningful actions were taken? " Do you have the EAP number?..." #thegreatresignation is our collective own doing and therefore turning around the results can also be our doing.