Loyalty is an ideal that is much praised and noted as essential in an employee. It is a generally valued trait, and most employers will seek it out, especially when reviewing a candidate joining their organization. I once interviewed for a job where, upon perusing through my resume, the employer observed that I had changed jobs a number of times. He aptly asked if I was a loyal employee. To him, my moving around was a testament that I was the proverbial job hopper and not loyal, which in his eyes was a vice.
Once on board, staff are not only told to be loyal—especially regarding the use of company time—but even more so, they are made to sign confidentiality clauses to ensure their loyalty is without question. This is based on the fact that since the organization is paying you, it means almost every activity, including your time, belongs to them. Once I came across one international organization where even weekend travel to a nearby home country had to be signed off. If the supervisor refused and you still went ahead, or if you got into some sort of trouble requiring an extension of your time, the organization might fail to come through for you since you were deemed disloyal.
But while it is good for one to be loyal to the organization they work for, there are some organizational aspects worth reflecting upon. An organization is basically a system with its own life cycle. When people join, they enter that employment system to help it achieve its ends. But just as they joined, they will one day leave. And more so, an organization by nature lives beyond individuals.
Two things can illustrate this. First, almost all organizations have a retirement age, meaning that at a certain point, you will be deemed done. Secondly, whenever an organization faces a downturn or default, it restructures. In that process, staff can be laid off regardless of the loyal status they held to sustain it. Recently, Microsoft laid off a massive number of people—nearly a third of certain departments—and I believe many of them were very loyal to the company.
So, should you be loyal to an organization? Yes, but only to an extent, or with your eyes wide open. For when it comes to survival, the organization will primarily consider itself first. Besides, long after you live, it will carry on well after you. Be loyal to the organization, but never forget that loyalty begins with you first.
– Assoc Prof Martin M. Lwanga