How important is employee loyalty to an organization? An important factor in the competitiveness of the enterprise is the loyalty of the staff.

Loyalty is the tendency to work in one company for a long time. Loyalty is not the same word as loyalty. It is clear that everything is relative, but still, “long” means a certain time span, years.

There are two opposing traditions in the world. So, both in Europe and Japan, it has always been customary to work in the same company for a long period. Americans, on the other hand, value themselves, not themselves plus the company, perceiving their personality as a separate market value that sells well.

Unlike the inhabitants of the United States, the German, for example, thinks like this: I plus the Volkswagen - this is a real combat unit. Russia is still choosing its own path. Why is the topic of loyalty becoming more and more urgent for Russian companies? This is explained simply: the vectors of economic and demographic trends diverge more and more. With the growing demand for labor, the supply of professionals is reduced.

The highly skilled labor market is part of the overall labor market. Scientists have never had more children than workers. Despite the general enthusiasm for higher education, in absolute numbers we are seeing a reduction in professional personnel everywhere. The last surge in the mass birth rate in the USSR occurred at the beginning of the 80s, and this generation, which was then born, entered the labor market several years ago. More such "tides" of specialists are not expected.

In Moscow, the consequences of the demographic crisis are less felt, because it is a point of application for talents, whose owners are people from all over Russia. Many employers, both public and commercial, complain about the shortage of employees. There is such a misconception that Moscow lacks highly qualified personnel, while Irkutsk is full of them. In fact, there is a huge shortage everywhere. In addition, there are now much more people who are ready to easily move from region to region than ten years ago. "My home is where my work is" is the popular motto of today's professional.

Applicants feel that there are fewer competitors and more jobs. People often have a question: where, how and for what to work? In turn, employers are puzzled by how to motivate people. How to make employees loyal? After all, uncontested loyalty is beginning to become a thing of the past.

Hence, various misconceptions arise, according to which loyalty is a kind of virtue, and a real professional should have it by default. Some, for example, identify it with honesty. But honesty is not loyalty. Loyalty is the tendency to stay with one employer for a long time for various reasons. Because you are afraid to change something, or because everything suits you.

The vast majority of employees remain in the company, primarily because of certain material motives. They work conscientiously and for a long time, which means they are loyal to the company. As long as the financial agreements between the employer and the employee are observed, the person remains in the company. When there is a breakdown in a financial relationship and an employee leaves, the employee is not committing a disloyal act.

He makes a market action, and loyalty simply ends when the overt or implicit agreement between the parties is actually violated. Loyalty is akin to good manners in business communication: it is an employee's response to the fulfillment of his material requirements.

But if a company does everything for the growth and development of an employee, for example, pays him for professional studies, conducts trainings, promotes him in a position, while the person does not sit at work for days, but still leaves the company, this is the employee’s problem. This attitude can be called disloyalty.

It also happens like this: from a material point of view, everything is not normal, but the employee is still working. This is also a manifestation of loyalty, but the essence of the phenomenon is still rational. Perhaps a person is not fully aware of his value. Maybe he's not sure he'll sell his powers elsewhere. Or hopes for a career takeoff after overcoming the crisis

You can't count on pure devotion. Everywhere there is a calculation. But many job seekers today already understand their importance, are not afraid to enter the labor market and look for a new job. If the employer does not find an opportunity to increase wages, he must be prepared for the fact that employees will leave, and this will be a normal market situation.

I recommend to all employees to rethink their attitude to the labor market and begin to understand their own value, huge and growing. And then throw back the psychological barrier and ask yourself: “Am I loyal to the organization in which I work now? Why?" Carefully analyze your relationships with employers, evaluate your development opportunities both inside and outside the company.

My wishes to those of our readers who occupy leadership positions: pay more attention to whether your employee is satisfied with his work, whether it helps him achieve life goals that are significant for him - material success, stability, development or something else. You should be aware of all these factors that determine employee loyalty, monitor their dynamics and, as marketers say, monitor employee satisfaction with your value proposition.

Konstantin Borisov, Director of ANCOR Services

To begin with, it is worth defining the term - what is staff loyalty. Loyalty usually means a high degree of devotion of an employee to the interests of the organization and decency in relation to it. In addition, loyalty can be considered the desire to defend the interests of the organization when interacting with customers and partners. Let's talk about loyalty, keeping in mind the first meaning of this term - loyalty to the company.

So what is employee loyalty? To answer this question, consider several important aspects.

1. Is it possible to measure potential loyalty when applying for a job?

One of the foundations of employee loyalty is the coincidence of his life and business values with the values of the organization. This can be assessed during an interview with a candidate using some projective questions (by answering questions about other people, a person “gives out” himself):

What is a good team?

What should be a good leader?

What is success?

What is a good job?

The more the candidate's answers coincide with the reality and values of the company, the greater the likelihood of his motivation and loyalty.

Another tool is a question that allows you to assess how much a person perceives the problems of the organization as their own:

Your colleague, not a leader or subordinate, made a left trade. You accidentally found out about it. Only you have the information. Your actions?

The answer: "It's not my problem, it's not my business - he has his own boss" - indicates that a person does not consider the problems of the organization his own. All other answers (“I'll talk to him”, “I'll think about what to do”, etc.) indicate that a person, to a certain extent, is rooting for the organization.

There are many ways, including those taking into account the specifics of the pharmaceutical business, that allow diagnosing the loyalty of a potential employee at the selection stage.

2. What is the difference between a person's integrity and his loyalty to an organization?

Very often these two concepts are confused. In fact, it often happens like this: a person is honest and will not steal or deceive the company under any circumstances. However, at the same time, he may not value his organization and absolutely calmly watch how others do it. A loyal employee must defend the interests of the organization, so it is very important that he appreciates it, and also understands the "rules of the game" - what is considered right and wrong in the company.

So, you've hired people who tend to be loyal. But will they actually be loyal?

3. The answer to this question also depends on how effectively you cultivate loyalty. How to do it:

Motivate your employees the right way. Each HR specialist has his own “map of motivators” (a set of key motivational factors), the impact on which gives the greatest effect. It is important that leaders know how to identify and use these motivators correctly.

Clearly define the "rules of the game". This gives people confidence and stability, and therefore increases the true commitment of the company. It is important to avoid substituting ostentatious values for real values. You should not assume that those who sit at work until night and demonstrate their zeal in every possible way are loyal. Loyalty is best characterized by the achievement of positive results for the organization and adherence to the values, mission and rules of the company.

The corporate culture cultivated in the company and realized by the employee is one of the most effective tools for increasing loyalty. A sense of belonging to a common cause, pride in your team and company make people more loyal. Clearly defined and shared values, team building activities, common corporate events - all this contributes to increasing loyalty.

The behavior of the direct manager, who in fact demonstrates dedication to the organization, cheers for the results of work, is another important tool for fostering loyalty.

Competent management of conflicts and changes is an essential condition for maintaining staff loyalty.

4. What to do if an employee is disloyal?

First of all, it should be assessed whether they are properly managed and motivated. If the problem is poor leadership, you must urgently learn the ability to manage people. And here again, the methodology for determining and using the “map of motivators” comes to the rescue.

If everything possible is done in this regard, then, probably, the employee simply does not fit the organization, and the organization - the employee. Or is it the result of wrong selection. In such cases, it is better to part peacefully.

If a person is of particular value as a specialist, and the company is extremely interested in him, it is worth monitoring him as carefully as possible - after all, a disloyal employee is not so dedicated to the cause and can hack.

5. What are the methods for assessing the loyalty of working employees?

One of the most important ways to evaluate loyalty is observation. It is worth noting the following points in the work of the employee:

Is he focused on achieving the optimal result, is he ready to sacrifice additional time and effort for this;

Does he show initiative in optimizing business processes in his place;

Is it economical with the resources of the organization, including financial ones;

Are you ready to help others in order to achieve a better result;

Does he show himself in the team (not necessarily very active);

Does it offer something in return, criticizing the status quo;

Faced with a problem, whether looking for solutions or explanations why it cannot be done;

Does he often speak badly about the company, the activities of his colleagues;

How capable and inclined to defend the interests of the company.

Another option for assessing loyalty and motivation, and these concepts are closely related, is anonymous surveys, which may include the following questions:

What satisfies and what does not in your work, team, company?

What positive and negative aspects do you see in the company culture?

What do you consider to be the hallmarks of a team?

How many years do you plan to work in this position? In this company?

You can also use a survey using projective methods, and as a result, see if there are many coincidences between the expectations of employees and reality. The more of them, the higher the loyalty.

You can talk and write a lot about loyalty. This article has marked only the tip of the iceberg - other aspects of this multifaceted topic require a separate, more detailed discussion.

The basis of any company is competent and reliable employees. Almost every employer dreams of an employee who, even in difficult times, is able to sympathize with salary delays and, if necessary, work on weekends without additional pay. But if such a thing enters the system, it becomes unbearable to work under such conditions. How to remain a loyal employee without allowing yourself to be ridden? And do you even need to be a loyal paladin of your employer?

According to a survey conducted in 2010 by an international recruitment agency Kelly Services, the crisis had a significant impact on the loyalty of our compatriots to employers. Thus, 21% of respondents admitted that during the period of the economic downturn they became more committed to their company. However, as before, in terms of the level of involvement of employees in the work process, Russia occupies one of the last places. Moreover, unlike representatives of other countries, our fellow citizens are most motivated to pay and career growth. The personality of the manager, on the other hand, has practically no effect on employee loyalty (only for 8% of respondents this turned out to be important, while in the world this figure ranges from 40 to 50%). So it is quite natural that the attitude to the question of the importance of having loyal employees in the company, the need to implement programs to retain them, etc. rather ambiguous. Moreover, the very concept loyalty Employers sometimes interpret in a very specific way.

Loyal employee - who is he?

In the highest manifestation of loyalty, a person perceives the affairs of the company as his own business.

If we conduct a survey among managers on the topic “Which employees do you consider loyal?”, then we are likely to get very different answers. For most leaders loyal employee- the one who stays to work overtime readily takes on any social work and is always on the side of the management. Some understand this term as ordinary decency. Or they rank as a loyal employee a person who has been working in the company since its foundation, although the reason for his constancy may be inertia or difficult personal circumstances. Nevertheless, staff loyalty has a very specific meaning.

A synonym for the concept of "loyalty" is " loyalty» with its inherent attributes. First of all, such an employee:

adheres to the established rules of conduct in the company,
is the bearer of accepted corporate values and traditions,
Satisfied with the current working conditions (at least partially), for example, salary level, schedule, office location, etc., and ready to work here for a long time,
speaks positively about the company in which he works and is satisfied with the quality of its products,
feels a sense of pride for belonging to the number of employees of the company,
honestly performs the duties assigned to him,
tries to work as best as possible to achieve the best possible result,
worries about the success of the business,
inclined to make sacrifices when necessary,
ready to warn of a danger or problem that has arisen.

In the highest manifestation loyalty man treats the company as if it were his own business. He is ready to spend the night at work, gushing with ideas and does not stop thinking about unfinished business even at home. Willingly performs assignments that are not included in the scope of his duties. Does not expect additional monetary incentives for good work. And, by the way, with less aggression and resentment, he perceives unpopular decisions aimed at leading the company out of a crisis situation. In this way, dedicated employees become the foundation of the organization, infecting newcomers with their enthusiasm. Therefore, it is often loyal employees who are trusted to mentor and are even expected to have a decisive word from them when hiring personnel. “In my practice, I often come across situations when construction managers are interviewed by a foreman who has built his entire professional career in one company and in one position. And, despite the fact that he remained a foreman, he is respected and revered, ”gives an example Tatiana Novikova, recruiting consultant ANCOR Business Solutions.

At the same time, specialists in the field of personnel management specify that the level of employee loyalty directly depends on the current motivation system. Ideally, there should be components such as:

decent compensation package
Opportunity for career or professional growth
good team atmosphere
positive image of the company,
adequate guidance.

And although each of these items will have a different value for a particular employee, the absence of any of them leads to thinking about changing jobs.

Do employers need loyal employees?

To find out the potential level of your loyalty, the interviewer will be interested in your feedback about previous jobs, about the team, about the employer, and the reasons for your departure.

There is no definite answer to this question. Today in the business environment in relation to staff loyalty, there are two approaches that are fundamentally different from each other. Some business owners deny the need to find and cultivate loyalty in ordinary employees. The focus is on retaining top managers and key employees who are interested in increasing profits, whose departure will weaken the company's position.

This point of view is consonant with the current stage of market maturity: competition intensifies every year, and the market dictates the need for constant cost reduction. In such a situation, high salaries and the provision of an impressive social package are too heavy a burden for the organization's budget. Therefore, it is not surprising that, instead of providing good working conditions for qualified specialists, it is more profitable for a significant number of employers to hire yesterday's graduates who are ready to work almost around the clock for a small remuneration. Such a business model exists and is even quite effective, although such an attitude towards staff provokes a constant turnover of staff. Once in a company in which the leader adheres to the point of view described above, you should be prepared for the fact that you will have to spend a significant part of your working time on intrigues. In addition, according to the observation of Tatiana Novikova, overtime work is the norm in such companies, and various penalties and fines are actively applied in the motivation system.

Other employers, on the contrary, consider the presence of loyal employees in the organization a necessary condition for the successful functioning of the company. According to the expert, in this case, employees do not waste time and energy on empty talk and resistance. The most risky and difficult tasks are solved by the most loyal employees.

In organizations that value loyal employees, a close-knit team will be waiting for you, where one for all and all for one. And at the interview, the HR manager will try to find out your willingness to serve for the benefit of the company he represents. To find out your potential level of loyalty, the focus will be on what you say about previous jobs, about the team, about the employer, about the reasons for your departure. According to Tatyana Novikova, if a candidate speaks negatively about the last three places of work and leaders, then one can hardly expect loyalty from him. At the same time, it is not necessary for the representative of the employer to create a false impression of himself. “As a recruiter, I have a very negative attitude to various pieces of advice about not scolding a former employer, etc. The candidate will be prepared, he will look very loyal, he will like it, he will be made a job offer. So what is next? The employer will not get what he expected, and the employee will leave on probation with a ruined resume and a sediment in his soul. You say that no one needs disloyal employees? No, they also work, but in other companies where the management does not consider loyalty to be a necessary factor in the company's success,” Tatyana warns.

Thus, the labor market allows for the success of employment of both potentially dedicated workers and flyers who put their own interests above corporate interests. For the applicant, this means the opportunity to be yourself at the interview.

Should you be a loyal employee?

To be or not to be a loyal employee - it depends on the current strategy of your behavior in the labor market.

The answer to this question depends entirely on the current strategy of your behavior in the labor market.

If your goal is to gain experience or understand what you would still like to do in life, working in one place is not the best choice. For a number of professions where stagnation in professional development is critical, a job change every 1.5-2 years may be a necessity. In this case loyalty determined only by your life principles and non-disclosure of trade secrets. The latter is regulated by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (Part IV), which entered into force on January 1, 2008, and the Federal Law of July 29, 2004 No. 98-FZ “On Commercial Secrets”. In this regard, it should be borne in mind that now the concept trade secret directly related to trade secrets. So if you sign such a document, you are only required not to disclose information about the know-how of the company (their list must be strictly defined).

If you're not a fan of change and your specialty doesn't require a wide range of experience and professional growth, working in one place can be quite attractive. Moreover, in companies that are interested in the loyalty of employees, attention is paid to team building events: trainings, corporate parties, the introduction of traditions that unite the team. In addition, there are often pleasant bonuses, such as the 13th salary (the amount of which may depend on length of service), direction for training at the expense of the company, VMI and other benefits. And even in terms of promotion, usually in such organizations, priority is given to long-term employees. “We have employees who have been with the company for 8, 10, 15 and 20 years! These are very successful members of our big team. They have already become gurus, and you can always communicate with them in an interesting and partner-like way. Our company appreciates such employees and raises them, gives them the opportunity to grow up the career ladder,” confirms Tatyana Novikova.

When loyalty hurts

At the same time, an employee working in one place must be prepared to face several possible problems.

When business relations smoothly turn into friendships, various kinds of manipulations become an unpleasant surprise.

Firstly, when business relations smoothly turn into friendships, various kinds of manipulations become an unpleasant surprise. It can be very difficult to refuse a manager's request if he has repeatedly given you indulgences and shown understanding in personal situations. And the employer can take advantage of your kindness for their own selfish purposes.
Secondly, if you work in one place for 5-10 years without promotion, then in the future you guarantee yourself serious difficulties when changing jobs.

In professional terms, the monotony of the work process leads to a narrowing of the profile of activity, the application of which in another organization may not be found. In this case, you will have to take retraining courses and agree to work with less pay than a person is used to receiving. Psychologically, the lack of job search skills is fraught with the loss of a large amount of time, a high number of failures and, as a result, stress. In addition, recruiters themselves are often suspicious of such candidates. The myth about maladjustment, low qualification and lack of initiative of such candidates is too stable. According to the expert, the exception is applicants engaged in project work: “In any field, you can find specialties where employees do not need to grow their careers, because they grow professionally, and this is much more important and interesting for them. Working in the same position but on different projects can be quite interesting. And the candidate is grateful for such work of the company and is 100% loyal to it. This usually happens with project managers in various fields. And it happens in our recruiting too.”

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely avoid the problems listed above, but it is necessary to try to reduce their influence. To do this, try to adhere to the following recommendations of career development specialists:

do not immediately agree to do what you are asked if the request is unpleasant, inconvenient for you, or can lead to any problems. Ask for time to think. Think about how you can solve the problem without harming your interests. And offer your version to the leader. In any case, give yourself the right to sometimes say “no”, be sure to back up your refusal with serious reasons;
Review job offers regularly. Analyze the development trend of your professional field;
strive to constantly develop professionally. This may be reading professional literature, and participation in specialized conferences, and receiving additional education;
expand your network of social contacts. Communicate not only with colleagues, but also with potential employers. Sources can be: a list of friends of your acquaintances and interest groups in social networks, professional forums, contacts from events in which your employer's company takes part, etc.;
try to take on additional responsibilities at your current job to expand your area of competence;
find a part-time job that is related to your main professional activity. And when you do have to look for a job, not only the additional income will allow you to hold out for some time, but the experience gained will allow you to consider a wider list of offers.

Every leader wants his subordinates to take up their official duties with zeal. Indeed, I want them to come to work with joy, and move mountains during the working day. Therefore, it makes sense to ask what loyalty is. They should work exclusively for the idea and without worries about wage increases.

What is the concept of loyalty

Many managers, dreaming of a loyal employee, mean a trustworthy person. But these concepts are significantly different. Integrity consists in following the norms, laws and rules that are accepted in the organization. But such actions may be just a formality. Loyalty is based on the goals and desires of employees, which must fully coincide with the aspirations of the company.

What is employee loyalty? This is the situation when every employee strives to achieve the goals of the company in their activities. This becomes possible if the aspirations coincide with his own vision of the future of the organization. Such a person is ready to put up with the requirements in force in the company, as well as accept a number of others. If the company plans to work on the market for a long time, then it must take care of the loyalty of the staff. This moment in the work should be one of the leading ones. It is very important to be able to motivate employees. Indeed, the success of the company depends to the greatest extent on how deeply the leader understands what the loyalty of subordinates is. This is a very important quality. And in the absence of such, it must be developed.

Undoubted benefits of loyal employees

Why is employee loyalty so important to a company? It is essential for the success of an organization. Loyal employees are people who are highly valued for a number of qualities. They have the following characteristics:

The company is experiencing temporary difficulties.
Accept all organizational changes that occur in the organization.
They value the workplace in a particular company.
They try to do their job the best they can.
They use a creative approach in their work.
Demonstrate responsibility.
They make every effort to improve the work of the company.

The Importance of Trust at Work

At the heart of all interpersonal relationships is trust. First you should take care of it, and then figure out what loyalty is. In the workplace, trust is shown between the boss and the employee. After the loss of this quality, loyalty also decreases. Therefore, it is important to maintain trusting relationships between immediate supervisors, top managers and employees.

Now the employer is chosen by almost every person who enters the labor market. He independently searches for a suitable job for him. In this case, a considerable number of criteria apply. As if the applicant should interest the employer with his candidacy. But this is not the only factor. The employer must also be of interest to the applicant. This is made possible by building mutual trusting relationships. The company's loyalty program is based on them. Moreover, this process cannot be instantaneous. It is characterized by longevity.

In the absence of trust, loyalty really decreases. Information is also essential in order to achieve dedication from a person. The loyalty program of a successful company should form a clear idea among employees of the purpose for which their work is carried out. The person feels the desire to stop the action, which he finds pointless. When an employee has no idea about the goals of the company, the quality of his work is greatly reduced.

In addition, with high staff turnover and lack of initiative among employees, the atmosphere in the team deteriorates significantly. This leads to a decrease in the level of loyalty among colleagues. But if in a company there is an external agreement of employees with all existing norms, then this is a signal. It should be thought that such behavior does not really indicate a complete consonance of interests. Most likely, such an attitude indicates indifference to what is happening in the office.

Mutual interests of the organization and employees

The management of any company must be, above all, attentive to subordinates. In this case, employees see that their opinion is noticed. That is, the management appreciates the vision of the situation by each of the employees. In this case, team members become bolder, think better, express their point of view. Here you do not need to accept their wishes completely. It is enough to listen to all opinions and tell what exactly will be implemented. If there is a discrepancy of interests, you need to voice the reasons and make sure that the employees understood everything correctly. Thus, the loyalty system forms in people a sense of belonging to what is happening. As a result, the level of trust increases. And the place of work in the organization, where the staff is treated humanely, is highly valued.

Importance of personal interests

Do not forget about the interests of employees. They usually work not for an idea, but for the sake of earning money, career growth, a good record in the work book, and gaining experience. The option of performing well-known duties in a “warm” place also has a right to exist. Therefore, an employer interested in the success of the company must take into account the personal wishes of its employees. Confidence in the organization will undoubtedly increase if the leader uses an individual approach to each person. Increasing loyalty fails if stencil techniques are used. Employees see that they are treated like a faceless crowd. They quickly reveal the peculiarities of the behavior of top managers of the company. And in their behavior they simply adapt to the authorities. There is nothing more behind this.

Relationships between employees

At work, attention should be paid to the relationship between colleagues. The more cohesive the team is, the better the performance of the department or the entire company as a result. In any organization there are problematic employees, as well as employees who are role models. But in this case, it is not worth identifying the "axis of evil" and engaging in its explicit elimination. This approach usually does not lead to the expected result. You need to understand the situation by communicating with people. They must understand that the leader is not the overseer. A good boss is someone who knows the company's goals and how to achieve them. Using the professional skills of each employee, a good manager will make the company really successful. Employees see this approach and trust the organization more. They begin to be interested in what is happening, to reflect and implement quite original ideas.

Incentive system

If the company has an incentive system, it's just great. Unless it should be controlled so that all promises are actually kept. Otherwise, the manager should go out to the people who completed the plan and say that there will be no increase in salary. He needs to explain why this is happening. The direct supervisor cannot say that the decision was made in the central office not to pay this bonus. He must explain the situation, for example, by tough intrigues of competitors. This moment is very uncomfortable. And usually such topics lead to a sharp decrease in employee confidence in the company. If everything that the manager promises is actually carried out, then employees work better. They trust the organization. Of course, they try their best to earn as many bonuses as possible.

That is, to inspire employee loyalty for each company is a very real task. To do this, you need to show only a little attention to each subordinate in order to identify his personal expectations from this firm. And based on this information, build relationships between this employee and the organization.

“They are indifferent! They don't need anything! They do not care! If only to receive a salary and do nothing! ”, - I often hear such a description of subordinates from clients at the beginning of our cooperation with them. This often manifests itself in the form of organizational symptoms such as:

low performance discipline;
broken rules:
employees do not know and do not understand the regulations of the organization;
employees do not improve the organization's regulations, although they see opportunities for this;
employees blame instead of offering solutions;
employees usually do not achieve their goals;
employees demand payment of all salaries despite the fact that the organization suffers losses.

The list could go on and on...

In this article, I will talk about my understanding of the types of employee attitudes towards the organization and how to improve these attitudes.

What, alas, is the normal attitude of employees towards the organization?

One Japanese at the conference told me a story about how his compatriot friend opened a production facility in the city of Ulyanovsk, but six months later he was forced to sell it and go back to Japan. When asked about the reasons for such an act, he replied: “I can’t work with employees who evade work for a whole month, and then come and demand payment of their full salary.”

Under Russian law, wages are paid for going to work. Not for the result, not for achieving the goal, not for efficiency. The salary is paid for the fact that the employee goes to work on time and spends the agreed number of hours on it. This rule of the game is created by the highest level system - the legislation of our country.

Also in our culture, unfortunately, is still normal:

fail to complete assigned tasks on time;
be indifferent to the laws of our country (remember the famous “The stupidity and rigidity of our laws is compensated by the optionality of their implementation”);
moreover, any unpunished and unnoticed violation of any rule is considered to be a manifestation of valor in our country and is secretly / explicitly approved;
and, on the contrary, responding to a violation of the law is considered shameful, called squealing and “what do you need most of all, or something”;
actively resist and "behind the eyes" to scold any "bosses".

This was not always the case, but now the rules of the game "by default", alas, are as follows. Organizations need to improve the attitude of employees towards the organization. After all, if the management of the organization does not do this, then the employees will relate to the management system of the organization in the same way as they relate to the management system of our country.

To improve the relationship of employees to the organization, you need to understand what types of relationships there are in general. This is necessary in order to have a coordinate system and an action plan to improve the relationship.

Six levels of employee relationship to the organization

Having studied all kinds of classifications of the types of attitudes of employees towards the organization (first of all, thanks to Vladimir Konstantinovich Tarasov and Alexander Semenovich Fridman), I propose 6 main levels of the attitude of a particular employee to the organization (in order of decreasing loyalty):

fan- an overly dedicated employee who does not separate his personal life and work in the organization, often combining personal and corporate goals into a single whole.
Involved- an employee dedicated to the organization, interested in maximum development together with the organization for the sake of personal goals through the achievement of organizational goals.
Executive- an employee satisfactorily tuned to the organization, interested in the good performance of his work "just like everyone else." His attitude is entirely consistent with the attitude of the leaders of the organization, he often simply copies the behavior of the leaders.
resisting- an employee critically (constructively) disposed to any changes in the organization, trying everywhere first of all to find weaknesses, shortcomings and shortcomings.
Sabotaging- an employee who protects his comfort zone and diligently uses all the weak areas of the organization's management for personal purposes, while trying not to fall under any type of organization's sanctions.
Belligerent- an actively opposing employee of the organization, leading an active, partisan and often unconstructive struggle with all kinds of improvements and current rules in the organization.

In order to better understand each type of relationship to the organization, let's take a closer look at how the corresponding employee usually behaves in different cases of interaction with the organization.

Task delegation

Here I will understand the delegation of a task as adding additional work to an employee, work in excess of the functionality defined by his position. For convenience, I will present the levels of relations in the form of a table:

How to improve the attitude of employees?

In order to form a new way of thinking of employees in relation to one or another component of the organization, I use the algorithm of team formation (voluntary coercion).

1. Interest

At the first stage, it is important to interest employees, to arouse their interest in the subject of the formation of the rules of the game. Indeed, in most cases, the attitude of employees is not consciously determined by the imposed rules of the game of external culture and is considered normal by employees! And if someone considers his attitude normal, he will not change it.

Therefore, it is important to introduce the unified coordinate system described above. I do this by giving a presentation with a sticky wall and talking about each point in detail, with my own examples and parables.

Rice. 1. A story about the six main types of attitudes of employees to the organization

These stories are very difficult for employees. Employees evaluate and recognize themselves - they understand that their behavior is far from being loyal. Many blush, someone pretends to urgently call and flies headlong out of the audience. In general, after the end of the presentation, many participants in the training session are interested in knowing what needs to be done to change their own attitude towards the organization.

2. Engage

Now that the coordinate system is set, we need to involve the participants. The simplest and most effective way to engage is through joint analysis. For example, I ask participants to take a vote tag and anonymously (this is very important!) mark their typical relationship to the organization at the moment. After voting, the results might look like this:

Rice. 2. Anonymous voting results about your current attitude to the organization

Now the participants see the current state of affairs and are ready to improve it.

3. Learn to negotiate

Now it is necessary for the group to recognize the current situation as a starting point for further improvement. It is important to discuss the results of the vote, who and what thinks about this.

It is important that the majority speak out whether they consider this ratio to be normal. It is important to talk about what attitude should be in a strong corporate culture (for more details, see paragraph 4.6.), And ask everyone to speak out if they are ready to be part of an improvement project. It is important that the majority feel that the attitude needs to be changed and “working in the old way will not work now.”

4. Form a plan

The easiest way to improve the attitude of employees towards the organization is to involve them in the process of improving the corporate culture, the process of increasing the manageability of the organization. After all, an organization is its people. Everyone forms the corporate culture of the company. The improvement formula is very simple: "Agree and do it." It is important to form a common vision of the future result among all team members and be sure to achieve its implementation. When employees can feel that they were able to agree and do something, were able to achieve something together, they will begin to improve their attitude towards the organization: the one who sabotaged will become resistant or executive, and the one who simply performed will become loyal.

Here are the topics that I use to improve the relationship of employees to the organization:

formation and implementation of operational management rules that allow you to complete most tasks on time and manage to do what was planned for the day;
setting up the organization's control panel, distributing functionality among employees, shaping each employee's awareness of their own importance to achieve a common goal;
formation of rules for managing improvement projects without force majeure;
strategic session for planning the goals of the organization;
ideological session for the formation of key principles and values of the organization;
and any other team sessions of the formation of the general rules of the game with their mandatory and subsequent implementation in practice.

Rice. 4. A team whose members form the new rules of the game

5. Distribute responsibility

After the plan is formed and everyone understands, what exactly needs to be done you can share responsibility. It is very important not to confuse stages 4 and 5, as, alas, it often happens. It is much easier for people to first answer the question of what, in principle, should be done to achieve the set task, and then to distribute responsibility. First, voluntarily, then at the direction of the head with his adjustment of the deadlines.

6. Get things done

After it becomes clear what to do and who will do it, the stage of regular management begins. Regular setting of regular tasks in accordance with the plan, control, coordination, feedback.

The strength of corporate culture is determined by the extent to which the team of leaders of the organization is able to achieve the goals set, ensure the work of the formed rules, and fulfill the planned tasks.

Analyze

After the result is achieved, it is possible to analyze the current level of attitude of each employee to the organization, for example, using visual analysis. And if before the stage of forming an agreement, the level of those who understand the path and go to achieve the goal was 6 people, now their number is 14! The number of loyal employees has increased!

Rice. 5. Analysis of the change in attitude towards the organization at the end of the training session

Conclusions for practical application:

Attitude is usually unconscious

I still can't get used to the fact that talking in corporate sessions about the types of relationships is always very tense. All participants begin to evaluate their type of attitude, and understand that their attitude is far from being involved and not loyal, often not even executive. Many blush, turn pale, try to leave the audience.

This is because the attitude is usually unconscious. If you do not give adequate feedback to the employee and do not enter this or another coordinate system, then most employees will consider themselves involved, well, or executive. Almost no one will consciously and independently say to himself: “I am a saboteur. I always resist."

History from the practice of consultants

One evening, after a training session for the Customer's team, I had dinner with the Chief Executive of the company. And he told us his story. Let's call him Emelyan.

Many years ago Emelyan was the first employee in one company. He developed a friendly relationship with the Founder of the company, they both worked 80-hour weeks, invented new products, conquered the market. The company grew, Emelyan's compensation too, everything was fine. Together with the Founder, they constantly discussed the future of the company, made plans to take over the world, Emelyan saw clearly his personal future in the event of further work in the organization.

One fine day, the Founder came and said that the company had been sold to competitors and that he would now be engaged in other business. For Emelyan, it was like a bolt from the blue. He considered himself betrayed, abandoned. At the same time, the Founder continued to communicate with him in a friendly manner, which caused an even stronger contradiction. When he asked the Founder about how he sees the future fate of Emelyan, he received a very unexpected answer: “You are just a hired manager, what difference does it make to you who you work for? You don't have the entrepreneurial energy to start your own business."

As a result, Emelyan created his own business. He poached his best employees from the sold business to his new organization. He believed that the Founder continues to be his friend, but at the same time, behind his back, and even in official press releases of the company, he spoke unflatteringly about his role. As a result, the relationship deteriorated, which was very painful for both.

As Emelyan told me that evening: “If I had known earlier about these types of relationships that you told us about today at the training session, I could have given myself feedback that from the involved level I went straight to the fighting level. and could be more constructive. And I continued to consider myself a friend, but behaved like an enemy - as a result, I ruined my relationship with a very important person in my life.

Attitude is always there, and it is not neutral

Note that there is no such thing as neutral on this scale. Because it exists only for what we do not know. And for an organization in which we are at least 40 hours a week, a certain attitude is always formed. Moreover, the default attitude of most new employees is Executive, even Involved. But then it changes for better or worse under the influence of the organization's management system.

The attitude of the employee is actually always heterogeneous, but there is a steady trend

About any of your employees with more than one year of work experience, after a little analysis, you can confidently say that “he behaves mainly as an executive”, or “usually as a resister”. There is a stable pattern of behavior, although a resisting employee may suddenly become involved in the same innovation and vice versa. But when conditions change, the employee may begin to behave differently, then the trends change. This is especially noticeable when the corporate culture moves from one level to the next.

Any employee can become loyal

Every person has a bright side. Just like the dark one. And one of the important qualities of management is the use of all human capabilities to achieve maximum results. Especially bright opportunities: the desire to develop, every day to be better than yesterday.

Case from practice

During one training session on the formation of a corporate code, I encountered very strong employee sabotage. To overcome it, I planned and carried out a lot of involving work: analysis of “Where are we now”, built a visual history of the company. I asked the participants, including in history, to indicate the moments when they fought with each other, with clients, with partners. Honestly. Having exposed the systemic causes of many conflicts, it was possible to form a corporate code that united everyone and dramatically changed the attitude of team members towards each other.

Any employee can become sabotaging or belligerent

In Russian, this is usually called the apt phrase "relationships deteriorated." And they deteriorate for a simple reason - this is a discrepancy between the expectations of the two parties in relation to each other. Then a war can begin, which, as you know, is a deception. And deceit is the way of war.

Case from practice

Once, during the implementation of a consulting project, the management, wanting to “cheer up” employees, decided not to give out the thirteenth salary, which has been adopted since Soviet times, according to the criterion of the number of sick days. I was ill for more than 10 days a year - you get nothing. Less than 10 days - get the full bonus. Of course, everyone traditionally counted on this money. And of course, management traditionally announced new criteria for paying the thirteenth salary after some received it, while the second came to their bosses with a puzzled look. We had to make incredible efforts to correct the situation, but "the sediment still remained." Some employees have gone from "executive" to "sabotaging."

The ideal and optimal relationship level ratio in a strong organization

In the course of many years of practice, I managed to see corporate cultures of different levels. The ideal ratio, which I have defined for myself as a criterion, is from 20-30% of the involved employees (the more, the better). The rest are executive. It is useful to have 5-10% of those who resist in order to immediately see the shortcomings of all decisions made, correct obvious mistakes that sometimes involved and executive managers cannot immediately see.

At the same time, sabotaging and warring employees will, of course, appear in the organization from time to time - the influence of the external system is too great. The culture of a strong organization must respond in time to cases of sabotage and war, and either correct the attitude of employees or get rid of them, including defiantly explaining the reasons for parting, so that everything is clear to everyone else.

The first person can only rely on loyal managers

This rule is especially important in large companies and corporations. Because if the deputy general director is a saboteur, then there is a high probability of upsetting the management of the entire division. And even an executive position in a large company is not suitable, since in a large division the task of the deputy general director, among other things, is also to inspire employees, give meaning to their work, and only an involved manager can do this.

That is why, by the way, the resisting function is often taken over by the advisers of the First Person, who have extensive experience and qualifications, but do not have the authority to make decisions and change the corporate culture.

It is necessary to explain to new employees what is involved, what is resisting, and what, alas, is a sabotaging or belligerent employee

New employees are usually at the Executive level. They are ready to actively learn, develop and perform exactly the functions that are required of them. Therefore, the sooner they learn about the correct frame of reference and the right level of attitude towards the company, the sooner they can move to the involved level. Otherwise, the external culture of the country in which you work will prescribe the rules of the game for you.

Give regular feedback to your subordinates in mentoring sessions

We must not forget about existing employees. The external environment diligently imposes its rules of the game on us, and the results of its work, of course, from time to time appear in the organization. Therefore, it is important, as part of the mentoring sessions of the regular management cycle, to give feedback to your subordinates on how their attitude affects the corporate culture and manageability of the organization.

Leading motivators of each level

And finally, I would like to express my thoughts about the leading motivators of employees at each level of relations. I have done many org. diagnostician, saw many "miraculous" transformations, when employees quickly changed their attitude towards the organization and, accordingly, their motivators changed. I am convinced that most people (with the exception of borderline states) can consciously change their attitudes. To do this, it is enough for them to realize the current and required level of attitude, as well as to understand what exactly needs to be done to improve relationships.

Fan. The leading motivator is the need to be very needed, to serve a great ideal, to strive for a great, even unattainable goal. With this unbridled desire, he can justify his failure in other areas of life. As you know, many geniuses, being very successful in their field, were losing in other areas of life - family, health, relationships. And as individuals, they were very difficult in a relationship.

Involved. The leading motivator is the need for constant development, knowledge of the possibilities of this world in all its diversity, one's spirit, one's body. He tries to balance his forces and manage resources in such a way as to achieve the maximum and "keep up with everything."

Executive. The leading motivator is the need for correctness. To be honest, that is, as it is customary for a certain set of vowels or unspoken rules. It strongly depends on public opinion, on what others think of it. Therefore, he can actively leave the comfort zone, if “it is necessary”, and vice versa, resist, “if it is so accepted”.

Resistant. The leading motivator is the fear of everything new. He prefers the old tried and tested methods and is always looking for flaws in any innovation.

Sabotaging. The main motivator is to stay in your comfort zone.

Belligerent. The main motivator is struggle. Definitely against something.