Companies tend to take advantage of loyal employees more than newcomers, and research shows that loyal workers tend to get picked out for exploitation. Matthew Stanley, in collaboration with Chris Neck and Chris Neck, conducted a study showing that ethical blindness, a decision maker’s temporary inability to see the ethics of their actions, plays a role in this behavior. To address this, managers should be aware of their ethical blindness to prevent punishing more loyal employees. The crux of the matter is not to do away with loyalty, but to find ways to cherish and appreciate it. The ball is in the companies’ and managers’ court. If they want loyal employees, they should strive to do better.
Companies Taking Advantage of Loyal Employees More Than Newcomers
In the past, employees used to take pride in working for the same company for decades, but nowadays, that is rare. Companies say they want loyal employees, which makes sense, but the way they treat them does not. Companies tend to overwork and take advantage of loyal employees more than newcomers.
Research conducted by Matthew Stanley, Ph.D., and postdoctoral researcher at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, in collaboration with father-and-son researchers, Chris Neck and Chris Neck, at Arizona State University and West Virginia University, respectively, showed that loyal workers tend to get picked out for exploitation. The researchers recruited nearly 1,400 participants who acted as managers for a fictitious employee named John. In John’s scenario, he worked for a company that was on a tight budget and needed to cut costs, which meant that John had to take extra, unpaid work. Managers gave more unpaid work to loyal employees than newcomers.
The reverse was also true: when John had a reputation for accepting extra workload, managers rated him as more loyal. Loyal workers tend to get targeted for exploitation, which leads to a boost in their reputation as a loyal worker, making them more likely to get picked out in the future. In addition, managers were more likely to pass unpaid work to John when they read letters of recommendation that praised him as loyal.
According to Stanley, “Companies want loyal workers, and there is a ton of research showing that loyal workers provide all sorts of positive benefits to companies. But it seems like managers are apt to target them for exploitative practices.”
The researchers believe that cognitive biases play a role in this behavior. Part of it could be malicious, but most of it is not. The fact that John is loyal makes managers believe that he can tough it out and get the work done.
In conclusion, companies tend to take advantage of loyal employees more than newcomers. Even though loyal workers provide positive benefits to companies, managers still target them for exploitation. This behavior is mostly due to cognitive biases rather than malice.
Addressing Ethical Blindness in Companies
Ethical blindness refers to a decision maker’s temporary inability to see the ethics or lack of ethics of their actions. According to Matthew Stanley, postdoctoral researcher at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, people transgress frequently in their everyday lives due to ethical blindness. The study conducted by Stanley, in collaboration with Chris Neck and Chris Neck, shows that companies tend to exploit loyal employees due to cognitive biases. The study doesn’t offer solutions, but Stanley suggests that managers should be aware of their ethical blindness and realize what they’re doing to prevent punishing more loyal employees.
The crux of the matter is not to do away with loyalty, but to find ways to cherish and appreciate it. Stanley emphasizes that loyal workers are valued and appreciated, and companies should strive to do better to retain loyal employees.
The ball is in the companies’ and managers’ court. If they want loyal employees, they should be aware of ethical blindness and strive to do better. The study titled “Loyal Workers Are Selectively and Ironically Targeted for Exploitation” is published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
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