If you’re a demonstrably loyal employee, would you be spared during a layoff?
That’s the premise tackled by Jack Welch in a recent column on his The Welch Way blog. Welch writes,
“For starters, we can certainly tell you when loyalty feels like the most important thing in the world: during layoffs. Under such fraught circumstances, longtime employees very naturally tend to think of all the years they’ve served, all the hours they’ve toiled, all the times they’ve ‘been there’ for the team or company. And they wonder: ‘Didn’t my loyalty mean anything?’ ”
Sure it does, says Welch — but not in a vacuum. Loyalty that isn’t matched with strong performance won’t get you very far.
Writes Welch,
“(W)hen the going gets tough and staff reductions become necessary, the vast majority of managers act in the best interests of the company. Their top performers will stay, loyal or not. And marginal employees—again, loyal or not—will be asked to move on.”
The takeaway for employees? Be loyal — but be good at what you do.
