A few years ago, employee advocacy was all the rage. Get employees to be the face of your brand, rave about you, show their company loyalty, help you grow. After all, if you grow, they grow. Right?
RIGHT?
Alas, the tide has turned. None of that is true anymore, if it ever was.
You see, companies benefitted from employees posting on social media about them, and talking about them on podcasts, but the employees often weren’t compensated for this additional responsibility. Even though they were lending their own personal brand to the business.
On top of that, nobody has job security anymore. If someone isn’t sure if they’ll have a job next week, why would they use their own brand to market a company that isn’t loyal to them?
Employee advocacy starts with company loyalty. You can’t rave about something you don’t like or care about, especially if you’re only going through the motions at work.
Is it any wonder companies have all but given up on this marketing tactic?
The decline in employee advocacy is a reflection of a bigger problem stemming from plummeting company loyalty. No one has stopped to think why it doesn’t work anymore.
Where’s the company loyalty gone?
About a decade ago, when I first started writing for HR, I remember seeing stats about how millennials spent less time working for companies than any other generation. I believe it was fewer than three years. That remains true today when millennials stay with an organization for an average of 2 years and 9 months.
The main reason that was given was because you’d get more money by moving companies, especially if you got a promotion alongside the move.
If you got an internal promotion, you wouldn’t see nearly the same wage hike.
But was that the only reason?
Sure, everyone needs money. But if a business supports its employees, people will stay.
Nobody’s getting the training or support they need anymore, though. 63% of millennial managers don’t feel they have enough training for the job. And yet somehow, they’re in charge anyway.
Of course that will affect their ability to do their jobs, alongside company loyalty.
What are the consequences?
If someone doesn’t have the right training or support to do their job, they’re more likely to burn out.
When we’re less skilled at doing something, it takes us more time and energy to do. Think of it like weightlifting: the more you do it, the heavier you can lift without fatiguing your muscles.
You’ll get better at it a whole lot faster with a personal trainer who can support you with your goals and meet you at your starting point.
Management is the same, especially when it increasingly requires a complex balance of data, strategy, and empathy. Most people don’t excel at all of those things. So why aren’t managers getting the training they need?
On top of that, wages have stagnated. Hardly anyone is earning enough to pay the bills, let along do anything fun.
We need that fun time to disconnect and recharge. Especially if we work from home, because home working can turn home into a place of endless notifications and stress.
What can businesses do?
Some of these will be controversial. They’re very European, you might say. But they work when it comes to company loyalty.
Switch off out of hours
In France, it’s illegal for managers to contact employees out of hours. No evenings, no weekends, no vacations.
“BUT IT’S URGENT!” I hear you cry.
No, it is not.
You are (probably) not in the emergency services. You are not saving lives. It. Is. Not. That. Urgent.
The increasing obsession with urgency in the modern world is part of what’s making us so sick and burnt out. Let it go. Touch some grass. It’s not that deep.
If you really need to get whatever it is out of your head, write the message and schedule it to go out when they’re back. Problem solved. And company loyalty boosted by respecting employees’ work/life boundaries.
Encourage them to go on vacation
Vacation time should be used, not forgotten about. If you’re feeling really generous, you could offer more PTO than your competitors. This will give your employees more time to recharge, and mean they come back renewed more often. Meaning more innovation for your business.
Unlimited PTO can look like a trap, though, where employees don’t feel like they can use anything. The right amount is a fine line. But when done well, it can be a boon for company loyalty.
Don’t forget smaller breaks, too
While I don’t smoke, I was always jealous of smoke breaks when I worked for companies that offered them. These five-minute breaks allowed smokers to take time to clear their heads.
Small breaks like this are a good way to release tension (even without nicotine) and come back to problem solving with a fresh perspective. Providing and encouraging them can help you increase company loyalty alongside productivity.
Support stepping away for lunch
I used to love going for a walk on my lunch break. Usually, I’d eat at my desk when I got back (with non-smelly food, obviously. Nobody wants to be the person eating broccoli or fish in an open-plan office).
Stretching my legs meant I got some exercise in, but it also allowed me to get away from the atmosphere in the office.
If the atmosphere was bad that day, for whatever reason, that and a phone call to my grandmother helped me shake it off so that I could get more done in the afternoon.
Pay fairly (and factor in the cost of living)
There’s plenty of money to go around, but not enough for employees to pay the bills.
In 1965, CEOs earned 21 times what their average employee did.
Now, CEOs earn 325 times more. Knowing this disparity, and worse, feeling it throughout the workday, is an easy way to tank company loyalty.
Provide adequate training
In the age of AI, training is more important than ever. Otherwise, how will anyone be able to keep a job, let alone do well in it? Nobody will have the skills they need.
Not to mention, it can prevent burnout, which saves you money on sick pay, and positively impacts company loyalty.
Utilize employee groups
Your employee groups are powerful ways to mentor, train, and connect your employees. They can meet colleagues with similar goals, backgrounds, and interests, getting tailored support when they need it. Having strong employee connections is essential for company loyalty as well.
Conclusion
If employees don’t feel like their employer is loyal to them, of course they won’t be loyal in return. It’s a downward spiral, exacerbated by the current cost of living.
Don’t confuse someone sticking around beyond the average timeline with company loyalty, either: in the current job climate, it could well be that they can’t find an alternative. I’ve seen far too many talented marketers, with decades of experience, struggling to get hired. Being unable to find work isn’t a reflection of someone’s skills.
If you’d like to support your employees, why not set up ERGs? Better yet, organize them with Workrowd. Get in touch to find out more.
