Of Gratitude and Loyalty (Part 2/2)

And now, we examine the other part of the discontent within the typical employer-employee relationship...

The Disloyal Employee

How often have we heard this lament? The employer goes on and on about the opportunities he gave this employee, and this employee had the nerve to just pack up and leave because someone else was offering him more money. Gone are the days when you could count on a new hire staying on for a good five years, and growing with the company.

Growing with the company. Allow me to address this fallacy first.

Growing at different rates

In theory, "growing with the company" is a nice soundbite. In reality, all growth rates are different. We're talking about the growth of a company versus the growth of a professional. There's no growing "with" anyone. Either the company or the individual employee is going to outgrow the other at some point or other.

It happens, dude. Deal with it.

It's not to say I don't sympathize. I do! Jumping from company to company every few months is bad form, especially when the employee is just starting out in his career. The least one could do is attempt to contribute positively to his company before considering greener pastures. Job-hoppers are a valid concern.

But let's face it - you want to hire people worth hiring. And people who are worth hiring, tend to have options.

But I don't want to be a stepping stone!

How do I put this delicately? Perhaps I should ask a few pertinent questions to start with. How big is your company? What's the scope of professional growth? How much of a mover-and-shaker is this company within your industry?

Just a stepping stone, buddy.

In other words, are you on par with the giants like Microsoft, Google, Facebook or Apple? If the answer is "no", then the bad news is, your company is a stepping stone, just like every other company who isn't Microsoft, Google, Facebook or Apple.

Don't want to be a stepping stone? Grow, or suck it up.

Whatever happened to loyalty?

Let's not kid ourselves. Loyalty is a pleasant concept - to a point. The strange thing about loyalty is, it goes both ways.

Your employee is only as good as his last completed project. Should the day come when you have the opportunity to replace him with someone just as skilled but far cheaper and younger, are you claiming you wouldn't do it in a heartbeat? Come on, it's just good business. Law of the Jungle, and all that.

Law of the Jungle: Eat or be eaten.
Kill or be killed.

Well, this is the kind of loyalty employees have to expect from their employers. And this is reflected in the kind of loyalty they show in return.

Loyalty and the web developer

Any web developer worth hiring, is pro-active, an enthusiastic learner and unafraid of change. Hell, change is probably what defines (and constantly redefines) the web industry. The quintessential web developer needs to have a wide skillset because the web leverages on several technologies, all of which change almost on a monthly basis! Any web developer content to rest on his laurels quickly becomes obsolete. In this industry, stagnation equals death.

But when you hire a web developer and expect him to have these qualities, bear in mind that this may work against you. His pro-activeness, enthusiasm for new horizons and lack of change-resistance are just as likely to be applied to seeking a new job. You want your web developers to spend their free time doing their own research and upgrading their skills? Sure. Lots of learning material on the web, eh? Absolutely. Guess what else is on the web? Job opportunities, pal. Loads of them.

Having your cake, and
eating it.

You can't have your cake and eat it. If you want the kind of web developer who'll innovate and do his own research to keep in step with emerging technologies, you can't expect him to not look out for new opportunities at the same time. Being a tad unrealistic here, aren't we?

You want a long-staying employee? Sure. Get the kind of web developer who'll be content to do the same thing, with the same technology, year after year. The ones likeliest to stay longest are the ones who have very few options. In fact, they might stay long after you want them to leave!

What's the magical solution?

Here's the thing: there isn't one. Things are what they are. But adjusting your expectations to match reality will cause a lot less grief in the long run.

Allow me to demonstrate gratitude and loyalty - thank you for reading, and please come again!
T___T