What does the word loyalty mean? The concept of “Loyalty” in simple words

Loyalty— unconditional: a positive attitude and emotional attachment, which are the determining factors in making any decisions regarding the object of loyalty.
(TCG definition)

When we say that the client is loyal to the company, we mean exactly that: his attitude and affection determine his decisions regarding the company.
(instead of “company” you can substitute “product”, “brand”, etc.)
A loyal customer prefers your company, despite what someone else offers him best prices, place, assortment, quality, time, continue the list yourself.

In order for the Client to become loyal to your company, the company must become loyal to the client.
In our experience, this idea is the most difficult for many people in business to understand.
We encounter this difficulty at seminars and trainings, but most of all during consulting, when we help build loyalty systems.

Although it's actually quite simple.
Long-term loyalty, like Love, can only be mutual.
How long does unrequited Love last? As a rule, not very much.
It's the same with loyalty.

What is “Company Loyalty to the Client”?
Let's look at the beginning of the text, at the definition.
...
Exactly!
A company's relationship and commitment to a customer determines its decisions regarding that customer.
Many now remember how they or they (it doesn’t matter) said: “Well, we’ll do this and that for the client, but how can the client not buy even more from us in return? It won’t take long to go broke!” and refused to introduce any improvement.
Firstly, if it is " let's do it” refers to discounts, bonuses, etc., then yes, we agree, this is indeed the path to both the loss of customers and losses. (for more details, see text)
Secondly, please remember any “client case” that friends or acquaintances enthusiastically told you about. Let me guess, this was due to the fact that an employee of some company made a decision in their favor, and, as a rule, unexpectedly for them.
Go back to the definition and re-read it again.
Thirdly, for contrast, remember how your friends told you about a situation when they were dissatisfied with some store or service. There, the decision was made in the interests of the company, not the client, right?

And when you come to the understanding that customer loyalty is essentially secondary, and is derived from the company’s loyalty to him, you inevitably have a question “But how can we achieve this very loyalty of the company to the client?”
We know how to do this for you.
We know how to do this.
And we will definitely talk about this.
But next time.

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

So, what is employee loyalty expressed in? To answer this question, let's consider several important aspects.

1. Is it possible to measure potential loyalty when hiring?

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 away” himself):

• What is a good team?
• What should a good leader be like?
• 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 organization’s problems as his own:

• Your colleague, neither a manager nor a subordinate, made a wrong transaction. You found out about this by accident. Only you have the information. What are your actions?

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

There are many ways, including those that take into account the specifics of the pharmaceutical business, that allow you to diagnose 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 values ​​it, and also understands the “rules of the game” - what is considered right and wrong in the company.

So, you have hired people who are prone to loyalty. But will they actually be loyal?

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

• Motivate your employees correctly. Each HR specialist has his own “motivator card” (a set of key motivational factors), the impact on which gives the greatest effect. It is important that managers are able to identify these motivators and use them wisely.
• Clearly define the “rules of the game.” This gives people confidence and stability, and therefore increases true commitment to the company. It is important to avoid replacing real values ​​with ostentatious ones. 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 achieving positive results for the organization and adhering to the company's values, mission and rules.
• Corporate culture, cultivated in a company and perceived by an employee, is one of the most effective tools increasing loyalty. A feeling of involvement in a common cause, pride in one’s team and company makes people more loyal. Clearly defined and shared values, team building work, and general corporate events - all this helps to increase loyalty.
• The behavior of the immediate manager, who actually demonstrates dedication to the organization and cares deeply about the results of work, is another important tool for instilling loyalty.
• Competent management of conflicts and changes – essential condition maintaining staff loyalty.

4. What to do if an employee is disloyal?

First of all, it should be assessed whether it is managed and motivated correctly. If the problem is weak leadership, you urgently need to learn how to manage people. And here again the technique of identifying and using the “motivator map” comes to the rescue.

If everything possible has been done in this regard, then probably the employee is simply not suitable for the organization, and the organization is not suitable for the employee. Or is it a consequence of incorrect selection. In such cases, it is better to part ways 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 job and may be slack.

We often hear the word “loyalty”. For example, “loyalty to the ruler,” “loyalty to the firm,” or “loyalty to the company.” What is the meaning of this term in Russian?

What does this term mean?

The word “loyalty” came to us from the French language (loyal - “faithful”). To this day, this linguistic unit is present in English and French. This word denotes an individual's commitment and loyalty to some ideals or people/group of people.

In Russian, the word denoting this spiritual quality also has several meanings, and some of them are constantly heard, while others can be heard quite rarely.

Here, for example, are some meanings of the psychological term in question:

• Commitment, belonging and good attitude to the principles and ideas of any social institution (for example, “loyalty to the party”).
• Loyalty to the laws of the country and the actions of the authorities (“this organization is loyal to the current legislation”).
• In a company, an employee’s respectful attitude towards established rules and/or certain standards of behavior in the organization (“loyal employee”).
• Just a good or at least fairly tolerant attitude towards something (for example, “he is loyal to homosexuality”).
• The buyer's habit of a particular brand, trademark(“consumer loyalty”).

The meaning of the word “loyal” can be revealed through its synonyms: “faithful”, “reliable”, “devoted”.

There is also “dual loyalty”. In this case, we are dealing with an ethical-political term that denotes simultaneous devotion to two warring parties, most often opposite in goals and principles.

Such loyalty is possible, for example, among military doctors who, having taken the Hippocratic oath, are forced to provide medical care to the soldiers of both belligerents, of both fighting armies. In this case, moral duty often comes into direct conflict with duty to one’s homeland.

Often this is a conflict between the interests of the state and universal human values. And if the so-called dissidents Bradley Manning, academician Sakharov and Edward Snowden decided for themselves this dilemma in favor of universal human values, then another outcome is possible, in which sincere loyalty to state interests will be put in the foreground.

In any case, the meaning of this word is associated with loyalty and devotion to certain ideals.

Pros and cons

On the one hand, sincere loyalty - adherence to principles and ideals - is a wonderful thing. You can trust a loyal person without fear that he will betray you. In this case, synonyms of this term will be:

• Devotion.
• Reliability.
• Trust.
• Commitment.
• Unconditional loyalty.

A person who is loyal, not in words, but in deeds, acts according to his conscience, doing his job honestly.

On the other hand, the eminent Irish writer and playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote about blind loyalty: “Loyalty is freedom from the need to think.” It's hard to disagree with him. Indeed, as a rule, unconditionally trusting someone’s judgment or authority, following all orders, is much easier and calmer than thinking, comparing facts and drawing conclusions, which are sometimes not very comforting.

Nevertheless, career growth, salary level, and many other important points often depend on the employee’s level of loyalty to the company or to the manager.

So, loyalty, especially sincere loyalty, is a rather ambiguous phenomenon. It can play a positive role in a person’s fate, or it can seriously harm him.

That is why it is necessary to think critically, constantly question your ideals, so as not to unnoticeably turn into a thoughtless fanatic who does terrible things because of his own blind loyalty; or into a dull performer who is so uninitiative and devoted that he is unable to offer anything new or original.

Any spiritual qualities, even the most positive ones, must be accompanied by a cold mind, otherwise there will be disaster: both for the individual himself and for all the people around him. Author: Irina Shumilova

Loyalty is: in simple words about the complex

So, what is human loyalty? Loyalty in psychology is a character trait inherent in a particular individual. It is identified with devotion. There is no need to expect a trick or inappropriate action from a loyal person.

Loyalty is tolerance of circumstances.

In a general sense, loyalty to an employer also implies fidelity. In this regard, the employee's commitment to achieving company goals is taken into account. A loyal employee is ready to put up with the employer’s demands even in situations where the company is experiencing a crisis.

Staff loyalty is very important for the company.

After all, what does loyalty mean? Such employees:

• do not quit when the company experiences temporary difficulties;
• embrace organizational change;
• afraid to lose workplace in the company;
• perform their duties responsibly;
• make efforts to improve the company's performance by approaching problem solving creatively.

A loyal employee is ready to work and develop for the benefit of the employer company. He always acts in accordance with job description and does not conflict with the goals of the company.

Types of staff loyalty

There are three types of loyalty:

1. Behavioral– is formed as a result of long-term work at the company. The employee identifies himself with the company.
2. Affective– an emotional connection that results from positive feelings experienced at work. People stay with a company because they support its goals and principles.
3. Regulatory– associated with a feeling of obligation to remain in one’s position as a result of pressure applied. In this case, the employee does not want to disappoint the employer and is afraid that his colleagues will have a bad opinion of him.

Affective loyalty is considered the most valuable. This type implies a direct interest in fulfilling one's duties.

Methods for assessing staff loyalty

Actions aimed at managing staff loyalty in an organization imply the use of methods for assessing this indicator. To assess how loyal employees are to the company, several methods are used:

1. Analysis of personnel turnover statistics.
2. Interviewing employees.
3. Monitoring employee behavior.
4. Regular surveys.

The most effective questionnaire is a questionnaire on the Thurstone scale, as well as a questionnaire about understanding the company’s goals and staff satisfaction current situation affairs, etc.

How to increase the loyalty of company employees?

To increase the level of employee loyalty, a loyalty manager can be hired - this is a person who develops and implements a loyalty program within a particular company.

The following methods are used for this:

1. 1. Satisfying the basic needs of employees (increasing wages, introducing benefits, etc.).
   2. Informing about the goals and objectives of the company through informal corporate events or concluding non-disclosure agreements.
   3. Involvement in collective activities (introducing incentives for activity, conducting trainings, reducing hierarchy, etc.).

Example. Increasing loyalty in the hotel business

Loyalty in hotel business may be increased through the introduction of benefits and flexible schedules, as well as involvement in collective activities. For example, you can organize common dinners or holidays, outdoor events.

Although, the main method of increasing loyalty, of course, will be an individual approach to employees - for some it is more convenient to work the second shift, for others they cannot work on Sundays, etc. If you take this into account, employee loyalty will be higher. This does not mean that absolutely no one will ever quit, but the likelihood of this will be much less.

Loyalty as a personality quality is the tendency to stay within the limits of legality, to treat with understanding, correctly and neutrally benevolently towards someone or something.

A parable about the measure of loyalty. A certain Sufi teacher was surrounded by disciples day and night and his reputation was so high that odes were composed in his honor from Samarkand to Alexandria, and the nobility of the seven kingdoms considered him the Star of the Age and the teacher of teachers on Earth. Once, talking with the ruler of Bukhara, he remarked: “People do not remain faithful, even when they think that they do.” Although one has to accept worship to maintain good social relations, in reality there is none. The ruler, however, thought that the Sufi wanted to flatter him by convincing him that these people were not really his followers, and he said: “Oh, Dervish!” Vanity, duplicity and hypocrisy are an indispensable attribute of confidants and courtiers, those who surround temporary kings like me. But the Majestic Kings of the Cosmos, such as you, are surrounded by sincere followers, for they have no material benefits from following you. The dervish said: “In this whole city, and among all the people who have declared their adherence to me and through me to higher matters, according to my data, there are one and a half people who will not be afraid if it comes down to it.”

To test this unusual theory, the king ordered the Sufi to be arrested for blasphemy and led through the streets of the city for public execution as an example for the city residents. When Sufi was arrested, no one from his entourage uttered a word. Crowds gathered in the streets along which he was escorted, but people stood in silent anticipation. An hour after they started leading him through the streets, the man ran up to the guards and shouted: “He’s innocent!” Then, in the next block, a man blocked the path of the procession and said: “Arrest me.” It was I who was guilty of blasphemy, this man only quoted my words to refute them! When at the end of the day the Ruler and the Sufi met to discuss the events of the day, the Sufi said: “You see, everything is so.” The person who shouted that I was innocent was a half, and the one who exchanged his life for mine was the whole person I was talking about!

Loyalty, if you do not confuse it with servility, servility and fawning, presupposes thinking in the mode “Your victory is my victory,” “You win, which means I win.” Loyalty is the desire to first understand and only then be understood. This is a craving for synergy. The enemy of loyalty is thinking in the spirit: “I don’t know and don’t want to know what other people think and feel, how they perceive the world. I don't care. If someone bends over to someone else, demonstrates loyalty, calling it loyalty, I call it stupidity and mediocrity, because loyalty is the willingness to bend lower, to arrive a little earlier, to be stupider than the gray, mediocre leadership. No wonder Bernard Shaw said: “Loyalty is freedom from the need to think.”

In a word, the black-and-white thinking of disloyalty is based on disunity, rivalry, confrontation, while the train of thought and logic of loyalty calls for cooperation, unity, readiness to provide support, warn about something, assist, sacrifice something for the sake of the object of loyalty . Loyalty presupposes honesty and fidelity towards the object of loyalty, a similar attitude to values, a sense of pride in the object of loyalty and an open demonstration of such an attitude.

In general, a decent person should be strict with himself and loyal to others. In true loyalty there is no desire to impose your values, principles, or worldview on someone. Loyalty recognizes others' right to be different. She looks for in a person not what separates, but what unites. True loyalty abhors prying into other people's lives, interfering and controlling every step of other people. This is also true for loyalty at the level of state thinking. Many countries loudly declare their loyalty, tolerance, democracy, and, at the same time, for the sake of their interests and worldview, they unceremoniously interfere in the lives of other peoples, causing them untold disasters and suffering.

True loyalty lives and thrives in an environment of selflessness and unconditionality. Where the dirty traces of self-interest are visible, loyalty takes on distorted, ugly forms. Therefore, it is easy to confuse loyalty with its surrogates: opportunism, servility and conformism.

The nature of loyalty, its social coloring depends entirely on who and who represents it. You can be loyal to fascism, nationalism, terrorism and religious fanaticism. A sadist shows loyalty to his own kind, thieves and bandits are loyal to criminals, pimps are loyal to prostitution.

Let's plunge into history and see what role the loyalty of other people to some quality of his personality can play in a person's life. The talented serf boy Taras Shevchenko was noticed by his fellow countryman, Ivan Soshenko. He liked Shevchenko's works, which he did in Summer Garden, and he brought Taras to the workshop of Karl Bryullov. The great artist immediately saw the talent of the serf boy and said that the young artist should be sent to study at the Academy of Arts. But here's the problem! Serfs were not accepted into the Academy. The landowner Pavel Engelhardt, who owned Shevchenko, categorically did not agree to let go of the young talent, declaring that it was his property, and he did not intend to part with it. No matter how Karl Bryullov and the great artist Alexei Venetsianov asked for Shevchenko, the serf owner was not inclined to this, as he put it, “philanthropy.”

But loyalty to the talent of the young artist had already firmly taken possession of Bryullov’s mind. Loyalty is friendly with compassion, it is always ready to provide support, assistance, sacrifice something for the sake of the object of loyalty, and Bryullov hurries for help to his friend - the great poet, educator of the heir to the throne, the empress's favorite, with whom she sobbed over Schiller's poems - Vasily Zhukovsky. Zhukovsky also became imbued with loyalty to the talent and fate of the young artist. He immediately told Empress Alexandra Feodorovna about everything, and she, in turn, informed her husband about the serf artist.

By order of the tsar, the minister of the imperial court, Pyotr Volkonsky, and the president of the Academy of Arts, Alexei Olenin, intervened in the “carousel” of the artist’s release. But Engelhardt was stubborn and unyielding. In the end, for the freedom of Taras, he asked for 2,500 rubles - a very significant amount for that time, many times higher than the price for ordinary serfs.

Bryullov and Zhukovsky, having assessed their financial capabilities, realized that they could not do without the assistance of the Empress. Alexandra Fedorovna agreed to pay, but on the condition that Bryullov would draw for her the long-promised portrait of Zhukovsky. Karl Pavlovich got to work.

Meanwhile, Shevchenko, like many young artists, earned money as a portrait painter. Once a general ordered a portrait from him and promised him a decent sum for it. But when the portrait was ready, he began to find fault and, ultimately, refused to take and pay for his own image.

Taras was offended and decided to take revenge. He painted over the uniform and epaulettes, painted a white shirt, a towel and shaving accessories in return and sold the painting as a sign to the barber shop where his abuser used to go to shave...

When the general saw himself in the role of a barber's barker, he almost gave his soul to God, immediately bought a sign, then went to Engelhardt and asked the landowner to sell him the daring serf. At the same time, he agreed to pay much more than 2,500 rubles. Greedy Engelhardt rubbed his hands with joy. One can imagine what would have happened to Shevchenko if he had found himself in the cruel clutches of the general. But, as we know, loyalty, if it decides to help, it will not give up its intention.

Taras, having learned about his proposed sale, realized the horror of his situation and rushed to Bryullov for help, he immediately told the news to Zhukovsky, and the latter to Alexandra Fedorovna. The highest displeasure was conveyed from the palace to Engelhardt, and the deal fell through.

Bryullov soon painted the promised portrait of Zhukovsky, it was played in a lottery among members of the royal family. Proceeds for lottery tickets the money was transferred to Engelhardt, and Shevchenko received his long-awaited freedom.

So is the loyalty of a whole group influential people to the talent of the young artist played a fateful role in his life. Documentary evidence has been preserved of how the artist himself recalled his deliverance from serfdom.

Questions from the investigator and answers from T.G. Shevchenko during interrogation in the III department. April 21, 1847, St. Petersburg

1. Describe your origin, the case by which you were freed from serfdom, your upbringing at the Academy of Arts, your activities upon graduation from the Academy, trips around Little Russia and the reasons that inclined you to pursue poetry rather than painting.

2. There is evidence against you that you participated in the plans of the Slavic Society of St. Cyril and Methodius. Explain in detail: when and by whom this society was founded, and if the assumption of its establishment has not yet been carried out, then by whom and when these assumptions were made.

1. I am the son of a serf peasant; lost his father and mother in childhood; in 1828 he was taken into the yard by the landowner; in 1838 he was freed from serfdom by the august imperial family, through the mediation of Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky, Count Mikhail Yuryevich Vielgorsky and Karl Pavlovich Bryullov. Bryullov painted a portrait of Zhukovsky for the imperial family, and with this money I was bought from the landowner. I studied drawing and painting at the Academy of Arts until 1844. Upon graduation from the Academy, he was appointed to the Kyiv Archaeographic Commission as an employee in the field of drawing and collecting folk legends, fairy tales and songs in the southern Russian provinces. I loved poetry since childhood and began writing in 1837. My first poem, entitled “Katerina,” is dedicated to Zhukovsky, which aroused enthusiasm among Little Russians, and I began to continue writing poetry, without giving up painting.

2. The testimony that I am participating in the plans of the Slavic Society is not fair.

The litmus test of loyalty is the attitude towards absent people. If a person does not speak badly about him behind another’s back, he thereby shows loyalty to him and expresses his decency. Stephen Covey writes: “Suppose you and I are having a one-on-one conversation—we’re giving our boss a bone to pick, something we would never allow ourselves to do if he were in the same room. What happens if we quarrel? You will be sure that I will discuss your shortcomings with others. After all, we did this in relation to the boss! You know my nature. I say nice things to your face and slander you behind your back. This is the essence of duplicity. Can we say that it increases confidence? Now imagine that you began to criticize the absent boss, and I say that I agree with you on some points, and I propose that we go together to his office and try to explain what, in our opinion, he is doing wrong. How do you think I will behave in a situation where someone begins to slander him?”

An employee's reliability is measured by his level of loyalty to the organization. There are several levels of loyalty and each subsequent one provides a higher degree of devotion to the company. Loyalty can be at the level of attributes, at the level of behavior, at the level of abilities and at the level of beliefs.

It is clear that loyalty is more valuable at the level when the mission and operating principles of the organization coincide with the beliefs of the employee. The level of loyalty can also be expressed in the following anecdotal way: - Can I count on your bank’s loyalty to me when receiving a loan? - Are you a VIP client of our bank? - No, but I did not repay the loans to several banks - your competitors.

Peter Kovalev