Despite UK businesses cutting jobs and freezing pay and training during a difficult period of austerity, new research* from breatheHR (run by OnePoll), reveals that the majority of employees in the UK (65%) still feel loyal to their employer.
However, the study also revealed the fickle nature of loyalty in the workplace, with 52% of respondents admitting they’d feel more loyal if they were given a pay rise or promotion, while 18% would trade loyalty in return for more training and personal development.
But it’s not just money or an investment in personal development that fosters employee to employer loyalty. More than a fifth (21%) of respondents said that if they felt more appreciated by their boss then they’d feel more loyal in return.
The size of the company also has a major bearing on how loyal we feel. In small businesses (1-20 staff) 79% of the employees feel loyal, but in slightly larger companies (51-100 staff) loyalty decreases significantly to just 54% of staff.
The regional picture also reveals some interesting trends. Notably, in the South East, where jobs are more plentiful and wages higher than for the rest of the country, loyalty is at its lowest point with almost half (42%) of employees feeling no loyalty to their boss. Wales came out top with 73% of workers feeling loyal.
Finally, the study found that women (67%) are slightly more loyal than their male counterparts (64%), when at work.
Commenting on the findings, Jonathan Richards, CEO, breatheHR, said: “The results are fascinating and reveal that while money remains the great motivator, there’s no substitute for the human touch. Staff development, training and old fashioned praise and appreciation is clearly an incredibly important component of a happy, engagement and loyal team.”
The full research data can be viewed for free by visiting http://www.breathehr.com/go/2014-employee-satisfaction-survey/
* The research was commissioned by breatheHR and run by One Poll in May 2014, with respondents coming from small businesses (1-250 employees) across the UK