"Medtronic won't hug you back," Christina says to me one Friday night at the end of July. Discussing work life and personal life, she reminds me that we all need time for family, health and relationships.
I had received three marriage proposals one weekend and I was complaining to her how work is easier. Given the systems in place with a combination of my assertiveness, there's normally a clear path to solving any challenge. No level of devotion to my work helped erase her comment, but I struggled to articulate my thoughts into a blog post: until today.
Since the corporate takeovers across America during the 1980s, the term loyal became obsolete. Prior to, an individual would join a company and stay until their manager took their belongings home to their loved one following the memorial. But today, our resumes are constantly reviewed, our ears are perked upwards, and trust is minimum.
Why can't we try and bring the loyal factor back?
Respect Where You Are
If you're there for the paycheck, that's fine, just don't be vocal about it. I'm not saying love every place where you work however, enjoy the moments you're there. Out of respect of your employers and co-workers be conscience of the comments you make. Things like "I'm just here as a resume builder" or "this place paid $1 more during my internship" are not made within the four walls. For the time zero that you're with that company, be vocal about the right items.
Work to Build and Maintain Trust
The last generations have been harsh. The scandals in our Presidencies, the collapse of Enron, and social media turning into a multi-million dollar enterprise. These events had a negative influence on our perception of employment in America. However, trust builds relationships and creates a quicker turnaround on results. We should be mindful on creating a trusting environment and removing the walls within our organization.
Diligently Include Work in Your Life (but not the other way around)
There are tools, articles and classes on a healthy work-life balance. So take advantage of them. Life outside is perishable. Map out your values and breakdown your world in the categories that matter. For me, my career is one of my top values and that's why I swipe my work badge more than my LA Fitness key tag.
But what I realized this Labor Day morning when I woke up and checked my email, was that I'm not a work-a-holic. I'm loyal. I'm loyal to the company that is set out to improve the life of millions of patients around the world. I'm loyal to my team whom I said I'd be available as a contact point for escalation. I'm loyal to my manager who supported my development goals and set me up for success even when I failed.
Although Medtronic may not hug me back in a literal sense, what I've learned is that loyalty has finally paid off. So work to bring loyalty back- It may just change your world view.
