The Truth About Managing People: Proven Insights to Get the Best from Your Team, Fourth Edition

Truth 23. So Long Loyalty, Hello Employee Engagement

Your father or grandfather very likely spent his entire work career in one organization. That was a time when employers exhibited loyalty to employees and employees returned that loyalty. But we all recognize that the days of lifetime employment with a single employer have passed.

The world began to change in the 1980s. Employers wanted more flexibility to respond to changes in markets. Corporate executives were under strong pressure by investors to improve profits. Traditional trading barriers between countries came down, opening up worldwide markets but also bringing along new foreign competitors. Disruptive technologies, many an outgrowth of computers and the Internet, began undermining ...