Many employers talk about wanting “employee loyalty,” or employees who will give their all to their role and to the company in order to help it succeed. But what’s talked about less is what employers can do to actively earn this loyalty from their employees, leaving employers with no action plan for how to inspire this kind of behavior in their teams.
To offer some guidance, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss several areas employers can improve upon in order to earn employee loyalty and trust. Consider the following advice if you want to build a work culture of support and positive action from both sides.
Young Entrepreneur Council members share where leaders can improve to earn employee loyalty.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Setting Goals And Rewarding Achievement
The most surefire way to get real loyalty from your team is to set customized, challenging-but-achievable goals for each team member and then reward them quickly as they hit those targets. You have to get to know the person and their goals, set targets that are within their abilities and then follow through when they hit those targets. The easiest way to demotivate someone is to set unrealistic, impossible goals or to move the goal posts when they meet or exceed their key performance indicators. When you develop a history of delivering on your promises, your team is much more likely to buy in long term. – Brandon Harris, Playmaker
2. Truly Caring About Their Employees
One thing leaders can work on to actively earn their employees’ loyalty is genuinely caring for them and their well-being. We humans are wired to feel that we belong to a community, that the leader of the community genuinely cares about our well-being, and when employees feel that way about their leaders, employees will be internally motivated to perform their best. They will work the hardest, innovate and, most importantly, they will become great leaders who will care for the people who will come after them. – Alfredo Atanacio, Uassist.ME
3. Practicing Servant Leadership
Practicing servant leadership actively earns loyalty from employees because they feel valued and impactful within your company. Ask your employees what you can do to ensure they have everything they need at work to really thrive. Instead of the patriarchal, authoritarian model, create a company culture from the top down that operates from a place of authentic service to those you manage. It’s so much more enjoyable and rewarding to have a workplace that genuinely supports the entire team. – Rachel Beider, PRESS Modern Massage
4. Creating A Positive, Supportive Work Environment
Employee loyalty is a result of many factors—some that employers can control and others that they cannot. However, there are numerous things that employers can do to actively earn their employees’ loyalty. One thing in particular that employers can do is create a positive work environment and company culture. Doing so includes offering employees fair compensation, challenging and interesting work and ample opportunities for growth and development. By creating a positive, supportive and challenging work environment, employers can encourage their employees to be loyal to the company. A large part of why this works is because people want to feel valued, and providing the best environment possible communicates this well. – Richard Fong, Disability Help
5. Trusting Their Teams
There are a lot of factors that dictate employee loyalty, but for me, the one that has the most significant impact on breeding loyalty at work is trust. Letting your team know that you have complete faith in their skills goes a long way. So, you should stop micromanaging and empower your team by delegating responsibilities. Not only does this elevate productivity and boost inclusivity at the workplace, but it also enables you to acknowledge lasting relationships with your employees. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
6. Providing Opportunities For Learning And Growth
Offering competitive compensation and perks to your employees is not enough to align them with your brand. Now, employees want to learn multiple skills to enrich their work abilities to meet extremely diversified client demands. Employees grow their skills to become valuable resources for brands, and loyal employees focus on the collective growth of their companies. They stretch their time, skills and other resources to face setbacks and new challenges. Learning opportunities motivate employees to stand with their companies, as they feel aligned with them. Further, learning opportunities instill a sense of positivity and responsibility within employees, which ensures employee loyalty and their long professional careers with you. – Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day
7. Offering ‘Employer Loyalty’
Employee loyalty is created by providing employer loyalty. Employer loyalty is shown by the willingness to invest in your team members. Provide coaching and mentorship. Have a formal review process with the focus on making team members better. Invest in training and provide them with time to learn. Pay competitive salaries and provide work environment flexibility. By investing in tasks that make team members better and their lives a little easier, you will find that team members will want to stick around a little longer. – Zane Stevens, Protea Financial