Employees see themselves as more loyal than their company
Swiss employees see themselves as more loyal to their employer than vice versa. This is shown by a survey.
1001 respondents of the Swiss resident population estimate the proportion of loyal employees at 65% and that of loyal employers at 59%. Interestingly, employees see themselves as more loyal to their employer than vice versa. The younger the employees are, the less pronounced their loyalty to the company. Lower earners see themselves as more loyal than employees with higher incomes. These are the key findings of a representative survey conducted by Demoscope on behalf of Angestellten Schweiz.
Older people and low earners are more loyal
The perception of one's own loyalty as a private individual and at work hardly differs. Loyalty towards work colleagues, bosses and customers is slightly greater (71%) than towards the company or the products and services that one produces or provides (68% and 65% respectively).
Younger employees (aged 15 to 34) consider themselves to be significantly less loyal at work than the older generation. The opposite is true for income. Lower earners (gross earnings up to CHF 5,000) are more loyal to the company they work for than employees with higher incomes.
The loyalty shown to employees by their employer is rated much lower. Only 48% of respondents answered "very loyal" and 42% "somewhat loyal". As many as 8% feel that their company is "not very loyal". Agreement is significantly higher among senior and middle managers than among specialists or employees without a management function. - Employees who rate their company as loyal are also more loyal themselves.
52% stated that they gossiped about their employer in their private lives. Furthermore, 18% admit to having stolen material at work for private purposes. 8% work extra slowly at work for long periods of time and 4% cheat on the subject of overtime or when recording working hours.
Employers should do more for loyalty
Only a few of those surveyed stated that they had committed "disloyal acts" at work. 18% admit to having stolen material for private purposes, 8% to having "dawdled" over a longer period of time and 4% to having cheated when recording their working hours. However, more than half (52%) confirm that they have "gossiped" about their employer in their private lives.
The survey shows that younger employees and specialists (skilled workers without a management function) in particular are less loyal. "It must be in the interest of companies," says Stefan Studer, Managing Director of Employees Switzerland, "to achieve greater loyalty among these two groups." "If you want loyal employees," says Studer, "you have to behave loyally towards them, because loyalty is the result of a reciprocal relationship." According to Employees Switzerland, employers can achieve greater loyalty by communicating clearly and openly and valuing employees and their work. Words and euphonious mission statements alone are not enough. You can find the results of the survey in detail at www.angestellte.ch.
