Longevity and Loyalty - MY Story

So this week I celebrated my 6th year anniversary with The Employment Store - some days it feels like just yesterday and others seem just a bit longer. Getting calls and emails from my co-workers and the owners allowed me to reflect on how much I have changed and grown over the last 6 years. It also made me think that I am contrary to mainstream, 6 years is now considered a LONG time to be with one company. Most people would be on their 3rd job by now.

So how did they do it?

How did my company not only attract, but retain me?

Planned or not (most of our success as a small, local and successful business is due to our flexibility) I was given opportunities to create opportunity. I have been able to come up with new ideas and see how I could impact the bottom line both positively and negatively. I have been allowed to learn, grow, make mistakes and have major wins! I have been able to teach, mentor and educate new and existing staff; all of these factors play in to what my company and the owners empowered me to be and try.

Interestingly enough, in a year that was tough for many, words such as "thank you" and "we appreciate you" go a long way in keeping people motivated. Knowing that the owners are working just as hard if not harder and just as long (usually longer) than I to keep our business growing that is what has kept me always striving to be better.

I have been able to join groups and community organizations that allow me to continue to grow not just professionally but personally, some of this happens "on company time" and this is looked at as a valuable use of my time. (some people I network with don't have this type of support at all)

Retention for me has been about all of these things, but it is also about trusting the organization you work for, trusting the people you work with and important for me is to be and feel trusted to make decisions; some call it empowerment, I am calling it trust.

Look at your team, yourself, what does longevity and loyalty mean to you?

Are Employees Discontent and Considering Leaving? Studies say YES

So here are some statistics to start out this conversation: employee engagement is down 9%. But among high performing professionals, that disengagement dropped to 25%

According to surveys released a few weeks ago, by Monster and Human Capital Institute, cynicism is on the rise:

57% of workers believe employers are exploiting the recession to drive longer hours and lower pay from their workforce.

58% believe employers are less concerned about employee retention, and 50% are more concerned about top performers leaving than before the recession.

43% of workers believe employers are now less tolerant of dissent and challenges to authority.

Only 26% excuse their employers for requiring layoffs and longer hours because they believe their employer’s hands were forced by the recession.

48% of workers say their productivity has been affected by a fear of being laid off.


The study concludes by recommending four strategies: communication, employee development, flexibility, and delegation/empowerment. In short, what they are recommending is to start paying closer attention to what the employee needs; not just squeezing harder to get more of what the company needs.

I recently discussed these employment trends with YNN news reporter Leah George at our Rochester Headquarters: http://rochester.ynn.com/all-regions-news-2134-content/all_news/rochester/488265/reports-put-hard-numbers-on-employee-discontent

Recruitment and Retention are at the cornerstone of what we do. How are you retaining your top talent?