How much is corporate loyalty worth to you?

"Give and take is the key to any good relationship. It also might be how corporate America can save itself. Aki Ito, our resident workplace expert, is back to examine the degradation of the employee-employer relationship. Loyalty at work is at an all-time low as workers and companies feel like they no longer owe each other anything. The result is a "Lord-of-the-Flies dystopia," as Aki puts it, where people everywhere are miserable and out for themselves."

"Some of you might happily embrace a mercenary-style labor market. Companies cutting ties at a moment's notice, and workers constantly looking for the next best thing. (And some of you might already operate that way.)It can be a beneficial environment for a select few. Top AI engineers and researchers, for example, can essentially name their price these days."

"Aki's feature offers some thoughtful ideas on how to rebuild loyalty in the workplace. She is not calling for a return to yesteryear, when people would spend their entire career with one company. Maybe it's a matter of being more transparent with employees or offering them a way toward professional and personal development. "Loyalty doesn't have to mean forever," one source told Aki. "It just has to mean for real.""

Workplace loyalty has declined sharply as employees and employers increasingly feel no mutual obligation. The breakdown of reciprocal commitments has produced widespread dissatisfaction and self-interested behavior, described as a "Lord-of-the-Flies dystopia." A mercenary labor market benefits a small elite—especially top AI engineers and researchers—who can command high compensation. Most workers would benefit from restored norms that emphasize stability and mutual investment. Practical reforms include greater transparency, clearer career pathways, and investments in employees' professional and personal development. Genuine loyalty can be time-limited yet meaningful. Restoring loyalty will likely impose costs on businesses seeking efficiency.

Read at Business Insider