I’ll never be loyal to a company
One big complaint about Gen Y is that we aren’t loyal to companies… But why should we be? We’re not loyal for a reason. We’ve seen how corporate America has treated our parents‘ generation. In exchange for extra long hours, our parents got… job security. Not! Their jobs got outsourced, their raises barely kept up with inflation, and (oh yea) they could get fired at practically any time.
Generation Y is not loyal to companies… and we probably never will be.
We are loyal to people.
A few weeks ago, we put on a leadership conference for freshmen business students. One of the ethical dilemmas was, “If you knew your friend had lied about his GPA on a resume, and your boss asks you about it… what do you say?”
My favorite answer of the bunch was… “It depends on who I feel more committed to.” That is Gen Y to a tee. We will be loyal to those who are closest to us. If it’s our best friend, we might lie to our boss. If it’s just an acquaintance, we’ll probably be up front with him.
One thing is certain: we won’t be loyal to the company we work for… We’ll be loyal to the people we work with.
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This is a great insight, not just for employees, but employers as well. Creating a workplace that encourages and values and builds relationships among all levels of the organization is the best way to foster loyalty - beacause you’re right on (and research also shows) that people are loyal to people first. They also are more prone to leave because of interpersonal issues than most any other thing. In fact, a bad relationship with a boss is the #1 reason most people will leave a job.
My previous employer kept telling us how our generation was never loyal… and this is exactly what we tried to tell him. It fell on deaf ears and now two of his top staff are gone.
It was an expensive decision for the firm but one they’ll stand behind.
It’s funny how companies think that it’s bad that people aren’t loyal to them.
You’d think that the Enron stories of the world give us enough of a reason…
I don’t think it is impossible for companies to win the loyalty of their Gen Y employees. The company I currently work at focuses on the unique needs of Gen Y, including work/life balance and a team-oriented environment that encourages the flow of ideas and timely feedback. They won me over recently by hosting a bowling night, at which they paid for the bowling, pizza, and beer - something I never expected. More, they allow flexible work hours and leverage technology in the workplace. Plus, it is full of great people to whom I feel loyal, and I am therefore proud to work there. I’d say the company as a whole, or at least the HR strategists, have earned a bit of my loyalty.
If companies are sensitive to our needs, I think they can win our loyalty. Now, I’m not to say that I might not refuse a more generous offer at a different company for the same job at my current employer (all things equal), but I’m loyal enough (or maybe it’s just that I’m competitve enough) to speak openly with my current employer about the offer and allow them the chance to counter-offer
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