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16 Oct 2026

 

The Loyal Employee

Decades of consulting in various corporations informed me of the many pressures therein. Many employees told me that when managers ignore the stresses they create - often, unknowingly - amongst their workers, two problems recur:

1. Closed-minded managers assign a spate of needless tasks which prove to be wastes of employee time; and,


2. Thoughtless managers express little respect for the dedication and professionalism of their Loyal Employees, yet management criticism is all-too-frequent.

On the other hand, the hope of advancement and the fear of failure haunt many managers. Nonetheless, unwise managers contaminate work settings with intrusive, needless supervisory oversight without regard for the dilemma they thereby create for workers … and for themselves.

When the value of dedicated Loyal Employees is not appreciated and is unrewarded, and when communication is one-way, the result is costly to morale, to productivity and, eventually, to profits.

• When managers do not listen to or support employees (or parents do the same to their children), discouragement and sagging motivation are sure to set in.


• Lack of gratitude and acknowledgement has deleterious impact on the human spirit at any age.


• Our need for recognition is a universal, life-long yearning. Its absence creates the potential for disaffection in corporate settings … and in the family, of course.

It May Seem Unimportant, But . . .

I have known unwise managers (new and old) who did not recognize - or, worse, refused to acknowledge - the experience, dedication and contributions of Loyal Employees as irrelevant to getting the job done. Giving supportive feedback to an employee was kid’s stuff, they said, feeding an employee’s childish ego. As one callous manager said, “They get paid, don’t they.”

In the eyes of employees, this is management disdain. It renders corporate culture devoid of (1) the motivational impetus of courtesy, and (2) recognition of achievement. Management disdain inevitably sparks avoidable conflict. Thus:

• Managers are unwise to identify any employee’s mistakes with an attitude of cold judgmentalism.


• Managers are unwise to treat Loyal Employees with suspicion rather than with appropriate recognition.


• Managers are wise to recognize the Loyal Employee’s years of work as indication of commitment and lasting good will.

One Loyal Employee with three decades of service to an organization puts it this way: “…Sometimes we (employees) give our time, energy, patience and good will to managers who are simply unable - or unwilling - to look beyond themselves. These managers are consumed by their own priorities, grievances, or ambitions but they miss the blessings they have been given, namely us, their workers…”

The principle is this: If a Loyal Employee’s behavior merits recognition, management should acknowledge its value to the organization. This is not simply fair; it is a matter of Justice and Prudence which defines a manager as a True Leader.

Loyalty Is Not The Only Issue

The central issue in all this is, of course, Employee Loyalty, which embraces a plethora of desirable qualities, such as fidelity, trust and reliability, credibility, effective use of time, concern for the goals of the organization, professional behavior with customers, and the ability to get along with one’s peers, even under stress.

And, odd as it may sound, the Loyal Employee and the manager who is also a Leader reflect the essence of True Love. What, you might wonder, does True Love have to do with work? When someone says, “I really love my job,” is this merely linguistic hype? Does that person truly love his work, the people he works with, the setting in which he works?

Whether we are aware or not, True Love may be a central component in every human endeavor, corporate life included. Why? Because we can make a deliberate choice to act from True Love. Our choice makes all the difference.

Love And Work

Does True Love have a central role in our work … and our lives?

1. Love is not merely a feeling of attraction or an emotional high or a sexual condition. These factors may indicate some sort of affective inclination or passing allure. But there’s more - a lot more - to True Love…


2. True Love is not merely an emotional response. It is a hard-won state of soul based on moral principles and discipline.


3. These moral principles dictate a way of thinking and acting by which we choose to exist, then labor daily to sustain.


4. In this context, it makes moral sense that we are to “love our enemies.” This is a principled moral decision we are called upon to make. It is often a difficult decision because it runs contrary to our urge to return insult-for-insult.


5. So, True Love overrides emotion and insists we stay loyal to moral principles, despite the temptation to do otherwise.


6. Work, by its nature, is often laborious and draining, as is life itself. But work ultimately defines our adult identity and our moral selves. How we approach our work reflects our investment in our own life.


7. Indeed, many people prepare for years to achieve their adult identity in a specific profession (sales, medicine, etc.).


8. Work is, thus, a most significant source of our social identity, our self-ennoblement, our income … and our moral maturity.


9. And, in our adult lives, our work is our opportunity to choose True Love, to give our best and to be our best.



Finally . . .





Some people remain trapped by anger, resentment or conceit. No matter how much kindness they are offered, they are unable (or unwilling) to accept the principles of True Love. As a result, they will not see work - or other persons - as adding dignity to life. They also fail to see that one of God’s great gifts to us is the people whose lives are built on True Love; people who show some manner of care for us and seek to meet our needs.

For starters, we frequently find these caring people amongst the quietly Loyal Employees … people whose lives are governed by principle and whose hearts sincerely (but quietly) choose True Love of God and neighbor, and proper love of self.

So, when we ask, “What does True Love have to do with work?” the answer (if we choose) is, “Everything.” If we choose, True Love may inspire our generosity, our sacrifices for others, our efforts to help those in need, no matter how minor it may seem.

Let us always remember the people who help us and show us the way, and those quiet Loyal Employees who do not even know our names. These people are treasures whom God places in our lives. May we bring True Love to them, strangers though they be. And may we remember that we always have choices in life, so may we choose the way of True Love.