Employee loyalty is so much more than staying at one single company. Who would you consider more loyal: an employee who has been around for 15 years, does only the bare minimum to get by, and will never hesitate to criticize you or the company at work and in public, or the employee who’s been there for 1 year, embraces the company’s values and culture, and works hard every day to help the company get there? While experience years matter, most probably you’d pick the 1-year employee every time. Akhtaboot is here to highlight the top qualities to help you identify and retain loyal employees.
They Tell You What You Least Want to Hear

The more levels on the corporate ladder that separate you and an employee, the less likely that employee will disagree with you. Remarkably loyal employees know that you most need to hear what you least want to hear: that you are making a mistake. They’ll tell you because they know that while you may not like what you hear, you care tremendously about doing what is best for the company.

They Never Disagree With You – in Public

Loyal employees don’t disagree with your decisions in public but only in private. Loyal employees don’t try to prove their managers wrong in front of other coworkers. Instead of doing so, they discuss, disagree and complain in private. Loyal employees trust they can share their opinions because what they have to say is in the best interest of their supervisor and the company. Even when they disagree with a decision that has been made, they follow through with implementation.

They Are More than Their Job Description

Loyal employees can easily adapt to shifting priorities and will never hesitate to do whatever it takes to get things done. Loyal employees ignore the job description if it has boundaries and jump in when needed even if it’s not their job. Just make sure their efforts don’t go unnoticed.

They Reflect a Good Image of Your Company

When an employee feels loyalty to a company, they take pride in the company’s services, workplace and culture. They will help you find more business leads by encouraging their friends, family and contacts to try your company’s offering. In addition, a loyal employee will portray a good image of your company to the community and public, even when they’re not on the job. A good example of this is to dedicate time for community projects or charity work, under the name of your company.

They Even Quit in Style

Sometimes even the most loyal employees need to leave. It can be because they found a better opportunity, a different lifestyle, to enter a new industry, or to start their own thing. Loyal employees know that their departure will create a tremendous hole, so they will let you know what they’re thinking to give you plenty of time to prepare. Granted, being willing to tell you well ahead of time that they plan means that they trust you to an exceptional degree. This means that they know for a fact that you won’t start to treat them in a bad way or fire them on the spot.