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How many bosses could bank on their employees threatening to quit en masse if they were abruptly ousted? Sam Altman received such a show of support from more than 700 staff after he was fired from Open AI that he was swiftly reinstated by the board.
有多少老板能指望自己的员工在他们突然被解雇时集体辞职呢？萨姆•奥尔特曼(Sam Altman)在被Open AI解雇后得到了700多名员工的支持，以至于他很快被董事会复职。
But this level of loyalty is not typical — and may not always be a good thing.
但这种程度的忠诚并非典型——而且可能并不总是一件好事。
Loyalty is associated with being “moral and upstanding”, particularly when it comes to family, friends and romantic partners. In the workplace it is more complicated. It can be rational (I work here because I’m paid a decent wage and the commute is not awful); emotional (I believe my work is valued, my opinions are listened to and I want to contribute to the future of this company); or more likely a bit of both.
忠诚与“道德和正直”有关，尤其是对家人、朋友和恋人。在工作场所，情况则更为复杂。它可以是理性的（我在这里工作，因为我得到了体面的工资，通勤情况也不糟糕）；也可以是感性的（我相信我的工作得到了重视，我的意见得到了倾听，我想为公司的未来做出贡献）；更有可能是两者兼而有之。
Management experts say staff who are loyal to their employer are inclined to invest more time and effort in their jobs, helping to create an engaged and higher performing workplace. In turn they receive promotions and pay rises. They have a greater sense of belonging and potentially a longer career at the same organisation.
管理专家表示，对雇主忠诚的员工倾向于在工作上投入更多的时间和精力，有助于创造一个敬业、高效的工作场所。作为回报，他们会得到晋升和加薪。他们会有更强的归属感，并有可能在同一组织中拥有更长的职业生涯。
But it is not all rosy. People who are too loyal are more likely to take actions that are deemed unethical to keep their jobs and protect their employer, according to a 2021 academic paper. Others might overlook wrongdoing and be less likely to expose corruption by whistleblowing. Loyalty is sometimes seen as such a force for good that it can be used to justify bad behaviour.
但这也不全是美好的。根据2021年的一篇学术论文，过于忠诚的人更有可能为了保住饭碗和保护雇主而采取被认为不道德的行为。还有人可能忽视不道德行为，也不太可能通过举报揭露腐败。忠诚有时被视为一种向善的力量，但也可能被用来为不良行为开脱。
Often companies and senior bosses are the real winners of employee loyalty. Research led by Matthew Stanley at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business published this year, found that managers were more likely to exploit loyal individuals. Stanley recruited almost 1,400 managers to read about a fictional 29-year-old employee called John, who worked for a company that was trying to keep costs down. They had to decide how willing they would be to ask John to work longer hours and take on more work without more pay. Researchers created various scenarios including branding John as loyal versus other traits such as honest and fair. Managers were more willing to ask loyal John to take on the burden of unpaid work.
通常公司和高层老板才是员工忠诚度的真正赢家。杜克大学福库商学院的马修•斯坦利(Matthew Stanley)领导的研究发现，管理者更有可能剥削忠诚的员工。斯坦利招募了近1400名经理来阅读一个虚构的名叫约翰的29岁员工的故事，他在一家试图降低成本的公司工作。他们必须决定自己多么愿意让约翰工作更长时间，承担更多的工作而不提供更多的报酬。研究人员创造了不同的场景，包括给约翰打上忠诚的标签，以及诚实、公平等其他特质的标签。经理们更愿意让忠诚的约翰承担无偿工作的负担。
“Employers take advantage of loyal and passionate workers because they believe that for [them], the work itself is its own reward,” says Neil Lewis, an associate professor of communication and social behaviour at Cornell University and an author of the 2021 paper. “It’s a double-edged sword: loyalty has benefits for both employees and firms, but it can also keep us from seeing and doing things that need to change . . . It is useful to periodically step back and reflect on why we are loyal to particular people, things, or ideas.”
康奈尔大学(Cornell University)传播与社会行为学副教授、2021年那篇论文的作者之一尼尔•刘易斯(Neil Lewis)表示：“雇主会利用忠诚、充满激情的员工，因为他们相信，对(他们)来说，工作本身就是一种回报。这是一把双刃剑：忠诚对员工和公司都有好处，但它也会阻止我们看到和做需要改变的事情……定期退后一步，反思一下我们为什么对特定的人、事或想法忠诚，这是很有益处的。”
Companies try to boost loyalty among staff to help offset a shortage of skilled workers, reduce churn and cut recruitment costs. Consultancy Gallup’s latest state of the workplace report showed that half of the 122,416 employees who took part in a global survey were looking out for new work. “You can’t guarantee anyone will stick around these days,” says a consultant who advises boards.
企业试图提高员工的忠诚度，以帮助弥补熟练工人的短缺，减少员工流失，降低招聘成本。咨询公司盖洛普最新的职场状况报告显示，在参加一项全球调查的122416名员工中，有一半人正在寻找新工作。一位为董事会提供咨询的顾问表示：“如今你不能保证谁能留下来。”
This is particularly true of younger generations, many of whom think differently about tying themselves to one company for decades. A headhunter told me the corporate bosses she works with tend to believe new graduates are less “dutiful” than previous generations and not as willing to tolerate perceived abuse. They trust their bosses less and are not as patient when it comes to career progression, seeing little benefit in keeping their heads down and following orders if they do not see results quickly.
对年轻一代来说尤其如此，他们中许多人不认为应将自己与一家公司捆绑数十年。一位猎头告诉我，与她合作的企业老板往往认为，新生代毕业生不如前几代人“尽职尽责”，也不愿容忍感受到的苛待。他们对老板的信任度较低，在职业发展方面也没有耐心，如果不能很快看到成果，他们就会认为低头听命没有什么好处。
Not every company can hand out financial rewards — such as equity, higher pay and bonuses — so they are turning to other tactics. But wellbeing offerings such as meditation apps do little to combat burnout. Discount shopping vouchers pale in comparison to a pay bump.
并非每家公司都能提供财务奖励——比如股权、更高的薪酬和奖金——因此它们正转向其他策略。但冥想应用等福利产品对消除倦怠作用不大。与加薪相比，折扣购物券显得苍白无力。
There are more meaningful ways to inspire loyalty, such as recognising good work, empowering staff, eliminating toxicity and communicating better. This can go a long way to make employees feel appreciated and motivated.
有一些更有意义的方法可以激发员工的忠诚度，比如表彰出色的工作、为员工赋能、消除“毒性”和加强沟通。这可以大大增强员工的感激之情和工作动力。
Still, tracking loyalty is tricky beyond looking at crude metrics such as staff turnover. Some companies obsess over employee engagement, a broader measure that includes the emotional and psychological involvement a person has with their work.
不过，除了观察员工流动率等粗略指标外，追踪忠诚度也很棘手。一些公司痴迷于员工敬业度，这是一个更广泛的衡量标准，包括一个人对工作的情感和心理投入。
“Emotional loyalty is longer term. The rational loyalty is fickle,” says Jeremie Brecheisen at Gallup, which helps companies track engagement.
“情感忠诚是长期的。理性忠诚是善变的，”帮助企业追踪敬业度的盖洛普的杰里米•布莱切森(Jeremie Brecheisen)表示。
Academics such as Lewis at Cornell note that it is also important for employers to ask themselves whether they have earned the loyalty of their staff. “Why should your employees be loyal to you? What are you doing on a regular basis to make sure they are having a meaningful and rewarding experience while working for you?”
康奈尔大学的刘易斯等学者指出，对雇主来说，问问自己是否赢得了员工的忠诚也很重要。“为什么你的员工应该对你忠诚？”你平时做了什么来确保他们在为你工作的过程中获得有意义、有回报的体验？”
He adds that staff often respond to more co-operative relationships. “If I see that you’re trying to help me, I will do my part to help you too. That effort on the employer side can cultivate a sense that ‘we’re all in this together’.”
他补充说，员工通常对更合作的关系做出回应。“如果我看到你在努力帮助我，我也会尽我所能帮助你。雇主方面的这种努力可以培养一种'我们同舟共济'的意识。”