Building a loyal team @ work

Building a loyal team is vital to companies, especially in times where many can't offer much in financial incentives. In the past, loyalty was vertical and employees were committed to the company or those running the business. It has now shifted to horizontal loyalty, where employees are committed to colleagues, former colleagues, and certain projects. So when you put people on a team, loyalties develop. Here are seven ways you can build a more loyal team, hence productive team at work.

1. Frequently take a pulse of your team.

Ask them how they feel about their job. Some sample questions include:

Do you see how you fit in?
What are your aspirations?
Which of your talents give you the greatest satisfaction?
Do you understand where the company is going and what you need to do everyday?

2. Create great jobs.

How do you do this? Take a look at the following aspects that fall into job satisfaction:

Task variety
Workplace friendships
Fair procedures
A balance between how much effort workers put it and the rewards they receive
A certain level of autonomy and control for employees to work unsupervised.

3. Create great careers.

Work with your direct reports to develop an extended career plan for them — even if that plan means the individual must leave the business to achieve a certain professional goal. The reality is that some of your key people will leave for a variety of reasons, no matter how much they seem to like their jobs. Why not map a path that would welcome them back into more senior roles after gaining other experience? So-called ‘boomerang’ employees can be great external advocates for your company. McKinsey and Microsoft realized this benefit and created online alumni networks to keep in touch with departed colleagues.

4. ReBalance the blame culture.

Most people don't leave their company --- they leave you.If you want engagement, you must show that you care, delegating more than just the things that you don’t want to do.” A manager who is quick to apportion blame for mistakes is highly corrosive. Delegating effectively means sharing credit and taking blame. Do that, and the staff will take the risks that are required for success. They’ll do it with you and for you.

5. Make meetings optional.

Most people do not like meetings because they don't create results. If you have to have a meeting, make them shorter, more focused, and get everyone who is attending to influence the agenda. And always start the meeting with something positive because that will set the tone for the rest of it.

6. Acknowledge individuals.

There are lots of ways to create a sense of respect among your team. “Some things are really banal: "saying good morning,If you’re a manager make sure you make yourself available to people when they need to speak to you. General team praise is largely meaningless, but specific and personal thanks goes a long way. Move from “Good job, team” to “Thanks, Jane, for staying late last night.”

7. Put employees into the bigger picture.

It’s your job to align business values and goals for employees. Focus on results, says Kjerulf. Find ways to make people feel like their work has an impact on the overall business, such as keeping them in the loop on what happens next for a project they’ve completed or acknowledging when their work has generated more customers or revenue.