A loyal employee is worth their weight in gold

As an employer, you want engaged employees that are prepared to go the extra mile for your company. While attracting such employees is already challenging, retaining talents in your organisation is even more difficult. Leoprinting understands the value and importance of loyal employees like no other. We are also aware how crucial it is to make your employees feel personally involved in your company. But how can you increase the loyalty of your employees to your company? We have listed the most important aspects for you in this blog. 

 

Loyalty is a matter of reciprocity: it works both ways. Employees should feel that the organisation has their best interests at heart, which increases their engagement and leads them to perform at the best of their potential. It also makes your employees less inclined to switch jobs and consider working for another employer. This is what we call employee loyalty or company loyalty. The degree of employee loyalty is primarily determined by companies' HR arrangements and the way they are received by their staff.  

 

Along the same line, employers must understand that employees' loyalty towards their company is determined by  employees' positive or negative emotions rather than by the events and behaviours resulting from them. As an employer, understanding and anticipating this basic principle is a crucial first step in increasing your employees' loyalty.

 

Do the people in your company find their work sufficiently challenging? Do managers and colleagues exchange and spread knowledge amongst themselves? Do employees know how to challenge themselves, or does their manager challenge them? Chances are that people that feel sufficiently challenged at their workplace are more committed and motivated since, for many, being challenged is an important source of satisfaction and enjoyment. In short: As an employer, attending to your employees' personal development is crucial. Know where employees see themselves in the future and provide the necessary tools to achieve that so that employees can grow within the organisation and/or on a personal level.

 

People can be challenged in a variety of ways:

 

Fifty years ago, the emphasis for managers was on "delegating" staff. Twenty-five years ago, employee 'empowerment' was considered particularly important. Today, 'engagement' is considered management's magical spell. Briefly stated, this means managers should give their employees more responsibility and let them make their own decisions, rather than imposing their choices on them and telling them what to do. 

 

Research shows that companies with employees who make their own decisions have 31% less employee turnover. A simple way to increase the sense of responsibility amongst staff and show them your trust is to let them make their own decisions on small and large issues as far as possible. For example, when it comes to judgments within projects, but also regarding their working times and place. 

 

Everybody wants to feel appreciated. Even a gesture as small as a sincere, heartfelt "thank you" from one's employer goes a long way. By expressing your appreciation towards your employees, you show them that their work is seen and valued, which increases your employees' loyalty to your company. 

 

Another way to increase employee loyalty is to regularly express your appreciation if employees go above and beyond what is expected. You could, for example, brainstorm with your managers about tokens of appreciation for employees that go the extra mile and exceed your expectations. There are plenty of small, simple ways to show your appreciation with a little something. Think, for example, of a handwritten card made of seed paper, a Tony's Chocoloney chocolate bar, a canvas bag, a printed mug, or a water bottle with a catchy text or quote. 

 

All these ideas are easy to implement and require merely a small effort on your end. At the same time, they can really make a difference in increasing employee loyalty. Also, make sure not to forget about birthday presents and gifts for other personal events and festive occasions in your employees' lives. Think, for example, of a personalised chopping board, tree sapling or a yogurt cup. Personalising all gifts with your logo entails increased visibility amongst your staff's social networks and environments as a welcome side effect. 

 

Finally, yet another expression of your appreciation can be achieved through employees' salaries and financial performance rewards. However, research found salaries to be secondary for most people when deciding whether or not to continue working for an organisation. In other words: Salaries alone are no longer enough to preserve talents in your organisation. At the same time, employees expect to be paid as much or more than they would earn in similar positions in other companies. If employees feel undervalued because they are paid less than elsewhere, they are likely to leave your company sooner or later. 

 

Even though many people continue to work – at least partly – from their home office, most employees spend a majority of their week's time in one spot. As a result, employees' work environment is an essential determining factor for their motivation. An inspiring work environment and comfortable workplace setting are furthermore associated with increased productivity and creativity and can lead to lower thresholds regarding, e.g., giving feedback. Finally, inspiring work environments heighten employees' motivation to collaborate and facilitate teamwork. This explains the growing number of work gardens and flexplaces in a lot of organisations. Summed up, it's employers' responsibility to provide inspiring work surroundings and appropriate, comfortable work spots. Ideally, this work environment additionally comes to represent an integral, visible part of your employer's brand! 

 

Employee loyalty isn't for sale. No pay cheque in the world can ensure employees' intrinsic commitment and loyalty to your organisation. Therefore, creating strong employer brands can serve to strengthen employers and ameliorate their image. Once a good foundation (trust, responsibility, challenge, salary, and work environment) is established, personal tokens of appreciation can further increase employee loyalty: Not only for major festivities and important milestones in your employees' lives but also for special moments throughout the year: from the first day at work to the successful completion of major projects. Organisations known as good employers all pay attention to and prioritise the above-mentioned components of their employer brand.

 

Are you looking for a piece of advice or additional ideas for increasing your employees' loyalty in simple ways? Don't hesitate to get in touch; we are happy to think along!

 

 

Recourses:

• https://www.effectory.com/knowledge/what-is-employee-loyalty/
• https://www.integron.nl/downloads/rapport-employee-journey-experience-in-nederland/
• https://www.berenschot.nl/artikelen/werknemersmarkt-vraagt-om-een-nieuwe-brede-aanpak
• https://www.workday.com/nl-nl/resources.html?topic.name=Human+Resource+Management
• https://www.kazoohr.com/resources/ 
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikekappel/2018/01/04/how-to-establish-a-culture-of-employee-engagement/#5d47dd8dc473