5 Tips to Improve Employee Loyalty

Employee loyalty research and efforts are surprisingly lacking. There is a decent focus on employee satisfaction – and indeed, employee satisfaction does go a long way to improve loyalty – but the two are not entirely linked. You need to make sure that you're making an effort to improve the loyalty of your employees directly. Here are several tips for improving that loyalty.

Right now, non-management employees are often at the end of the totem pole when it comes to business decisions. That decreases loyalty, because the company is still viewed as "just a job" rather than as something that the employee belongs to. Give these employees a voice in how the company is run and where it goes. You may find a great idea from within these employees, and at the very least you give them a personal stake in what happens with the company.

Employees want to know they're appreciated. Forcing them to ask for raises or fight for promotions doesn't help you accomplish this goal. If the employee is doing well, reward them without them asking.

They don't even necessarily need a greater promotion or a large increase in their pay. Some employees will simply be happy with acknowledgement and new responsibilities. It will show them that they can go places in the company.

Employee satisfaction does play a role in loyalty. That's why you need to make sure that they are consistently satisfied. You can improve this further by taking their needs and solving them, because it shows that your company is committed to your employees – something that will cause them to be more committed to the company.

If your company cannot afford financial compensation (and there is evidence that financial compensation is not enough anyway), look at ways that the employees can benefit from remaining employed with you. Free gym memberships at the company dollar can improve health, and requires that the employee stick around in order to continue receiving the perk.

Often it's the managers that are causing employees to feel less welcomed. One bad manager can cause a lack of loyalty with dozens of employees. If employee measurements show that employees are disloyal or unhappy, view all of the managers first.

Employee loyalty is an important part of maintaining a company. Use these simple tips to keep your employees within the company for longer.