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Does It Make Sense to Be a Loyal Employee?

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  • Juan Elegido

Abstract

Loyalty is a much-discussed topic among business ethicists, but this discussion seems to have issued in very few clear conclusions. This article builds on the existing literature on the subject and attempts to ground a definite conclusion on a limited topic: whether, and under what conditions, it makes sense for an employee to offer loyalty to his employer. The main ways in which loyalty to one’s employer can contribute to human flourishing are that it makes the employee more trustworthy and therefore more valuable as an employee; makes it easier to form authentic relationships in other areas of the employee’s life; expands the employee’s field of interests and gives her or him a richer identity; provides greater motivation for the employee’s work; makes it possible to have a greater unity in the employee’s life; improves the performance of the organization for which the employee works; contributes to the protection of valuable social institutions; and, in so far as many employees share an attitude of loyalty towards the organization which employs them, it becomes possible for this organization to become a true community. Last, but not the least, loyal relationships have an inherent value. The article also reviews the main arguments that have been offered against employee loyalty and concludes that none of them offers a reason why it would be inappropriate in all cases for an employee to be loyal to her or his employer. The force of these arguments depends on the specific attributes of the organization for which the employee works. The main conclusion of the article is that while being a loyal employee involves risk, it has the potential to contribute significantly to the employee’s fulfilment. The main challenge for employees is to identify employers who are worthy of being loyal to. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Elegido, 2013. "Does It Make Sense to Be a Loyal Employee?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(3), pages 495-511, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:116:y:2013:i:3:p:495-511
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1482-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Ganic Emir & Babic-Hodovic Vesna & Arslanagic-Kalajdzic Maja, 2018. "We are Happy Here and We Will Stay, What about You? The Cross-Level Impact of Employee Loyalty and Performance on Student Loyalty," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 13(2), pages 7-18, December.
    5. Tran Thi Kim Phuong & Tran Trung Vinh, 2020. "Job Satisfaction, Employee Loyalty and Job Performance in the Hospitality Industry: A Moderated Model," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(6), pages 698-713, June.
    6. Olabode Gbobaniyi & Shalini Srivastava & Abiodun Kolawole Oyetunji & Chiemela Victor Amaechi & Salmia Binti Beddu & Bajpai Ankita, 2023. "The Mediating Effect of Perceived Institutional Support on Inclusive Leadership and Academic Loyalty in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-25, September.
    7. Jerzy Kaźmierczyk & Jerzy Kaźmierczyk, 2019. "Workforce segmentation model: banks' example," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 6(4), pages 1938-1954, June.
    8. , Aisdl, 2020. "Sustenabilitatea educației doctorale în economie și afaceri," OSF Preprints 3h2vz, Center for Open Science.
    9. OSHO, Olayinka Kayode PhD, 2023. "Employee Loyalty And Organizational Performance," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(1), pages 552-567, January.
    10. Tang, Simone & Morewedge, Carey M. & Larrick, Richard P. & Klein, Jill G., 2017. "Disloyalty aversion: Greater reluctance to bet against close others than the self," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 1-13.
    11. Rosemary B. Coffie & Rachel Esi Coleman, 2018. "Ideology, Leaders and Employee Behaviour: An Integration of Transformational Leadership Theory," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(7), pages 83-95, July.

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