Loyalty is treating people like a human. When life shows up, not only do you show up monetarily, but you empathize through allowing for time, the occasional mistake, etc.
Someone who works for me shared how his grandfather was a career engineer at a major defense contractor. His wife got cancer and underwent rigorous treatment. Not only was he given the time to care for her, he walked away debt free.
Employee provided a skill to the company, company showed up for him when life got tough.
Bob’s story is uncannily similar to my late grandfather’s. He worked at IBM for decades (the white shirt + tie era), retired in his 50s with a pension, and lived a very comfortable life at his beachfront home. A very different time! For me, loyalty means two parties consistently committing to each other, both emotionally and financially.
I figured I'd trigger some memories for a few people. Glad it hit home with your grandfather's life. My belief is that a lot of people were happy with the arrangement. Sure they didn't have a lot of choices, but there was a sense of being taken care of that makes up for a lot of other things.
I like your loyalty definition - especially about committing to each other emotionally. How do you think a company can commit to employees emotionally?
Loyalty is treating people like a human. When life shows up, not only do you show up monetarily, but you empathize through allowing for time, the occasional mistake, etc.
Someone who works for me shared how his grandfather was a career engineer at a major defense contractor. His wife got cancer and underwent rigorous treatment. Not only was he given the time to care for her, he walked away debt free.
Employee provided a skill to the company, company showed up for him when life got tough.
That’s loyalty.
Great read Jeff.
I love that story, Jake. I wish (and hope) that companies will still treat their employees like they treated that grandfather.
Great definition of loyalty.
Bob’s story is uncannily similar to my late grandfather’s. He worked at IBM for decades (the white shirt + tie era), retired in his 50s with a pension, and lived a very comfortable life at his beachfront home. A very different time! For me, loyalty means two parties consistently committing to each other, both emotionally and financially.
I figured I'd trigger some memories for a few people. Glad it hit home with your grandfather's life. My belief is that a lot of people were happy with the arrangement. Sure they didn't have a lot of choices, but there was a sense of being taken care of that makes up for a lot of other things.
I like your loyalty definition - especially about committing to each other emotionally. How do you think a company can commit to employees emotionally?
what does loyalty mean to you? I'd love your definition - both from an employee and employer perspective.