Loyalty has a price tag, which can vary from function to function and organization to organization.

Who is a loyal employee? In my opinion, it is the person who has options, and commands a price in the competitive market but still is trustworthy and the management can bank upon him. A loyal employee gives you a feeling that “come what may” he will not leave, despite competitive offers. Loyalty is tested more in case of professionals who have alternatives but such is their commitment to the organization, and the people who run it, that he decides to continue within the same group or organization. Again, loyalty can be to the organization, or to the management or people who run it. It takes years for anyone to develop this kind of a relationship. If a person is loyal to the organization and to the management both, the combination is deadly in favor of the organization. But if the loyalty is for a specified person then the loyalties can switch with the person. It is good to have people who are loyal and committed to the organization than to have a specific leaning to a specific individual.

In course of our interaction with newcomers during the talent acquisition exercises, we do come across bright individuals who would definitely deliver, but somehow they lack the loyalty and commitment, and you know their span is limited. But till the time they are in the organization they would deliver.

How do you gauge loyalty? May be it is the number of years they have put in, but more so it is their general attitude and the position of trust and confidence which they communicate in course of interaction and corporate dealings. More so, they are the people who can be trusted in testing and challenging situations.

Finally, loyal employees are not identified specifically but are in the knowledge of management and this attitude should be rewarded. You cannot ignore a loyal employee for a long time but you should ensure that they are adequately compensated as they are the people who are your brand ambassadors and would always be with you in daunting situations. Just a poser for all of you – How should the management deal with loyal employees who are not able to keep pace with the times and upgrade themselves professionally? Also, what if due to influx of new employees his/her position is threatened as he/she does not possess the required skill-set? In my opinion, do not dispense with them but give them alternate profile as from the organization’s point of view you need different skill sets. An effort should be made to train them so that they become useful to the organization. To take it further, in the game of chess every playing piece is not a queen and you also need pawns, the rooks and the bishops to make the right moves.