Smaller Companies Foster Better Loyalty

A majority of hiring managers representing companies large and small in metropolitan New York City (88 percent) say employee loyalty is a very important issue for their organizations.

Job seekers are slightly less likely to focus on employee loyalty, with 70 percent saying it is extremely or very important to find a job with an organization that engenders employee loyalty.

These findings comprise the first in a series of reports on employee loyalty by The New York Times Job Market, the print and online recruitment services offering of The New York Times advertising department.

Survey results suggest that smaller companies are better at fostering employee loyalty than larger firms. While more than half (58 percent) of hiring managers at companies with 100+ employees say the employees at their companies are extremely or very loyal, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of those at companies with fewer than 100 employees say loyalty is high.

Job seekers' survey responses also support the impression that employee loyalty tends to be stronger at smaller companies. Overall, 80 percent of job seekers say that they have been extremely or very loyal to their previous employers. Those from companies with fewer than 100 employees (84 percent) are more likely to say this than those from companies with 100+ employees (70 percent).

When employers were asked to describe the characteristics of a loyal employee, one hiring manager said, "A loyal employee would be one who steps up to the plate in tough times." Another stated that a loyal employee is someone "who is willing to walk over hot coals for this organization."

When asked which of several qualities best describes a loyal employee, both hiring managers and job seekers agree that the willingness to go above and beyond normal job requirements is the most important quality.