You Don’t Owe Eternal Loyalty to Your Employer

You’ve been at your workplace for a decade. Maybe more. Every lunch break, you can guess what Chrystal has in the fridge, and you aim to catch up on Amy’s new fling. 

You’ve been with the same people for years. You’ve gotten to know their families and have learned all their quirky behaviours. And every Friday before clocking out for the day, it’s like you feel the need to line everyone up and say goodbye like the end of a family get together.

Family. 

These people are like family. 

The company is like family. 

So, of course, if they ask you to pick up another task or do a little extra work, you’re gonna do it.

And if it becomes too much? (Like it might be feeling now) Well, there’s no point in leaving when you feel such a strong loyalty to them and you have become the lynchpin of everything

You don’t want to let them down? Not if they’re family, right?

Take a deep breath in and let that out, because I have some serious news to share: 

Your work is not your family. 

…And if you’re putting their interests above yours, then you’re not being loyal to the one person you, truly, need to be loyal to. 

Who’s that? 

Yourself.

What you owe your company

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have ANY loyalty to the company you work for. Chances are, you were attracted to the organisation on day one for a reason, and you’ve stuck it out this long because that reason still lingers. An appropriate amount of loyalty makes sense, so, of course, there are a few things that you, as an employee, owe the company you work for.

You owe them your best every day. My guess is, you’re already doing this, probably even more than is expected. Slacking off isn’t in your vocabulary and you wouldn’t dare ignore what’s on your work to-do list, even if you’re working so much that you end up kind of hating your job. 

You owe them your creative solutions. That’s kind of the point of work: to get together and solve big and hectic problems all the time. Part of your job is to think creatively and come up with the solutions so your team can work better.

And you owe them the truth. See something that needs addressing? Say it. The only way to solve a problem is by acknowledging it first. And the only way a company can succeed is if they work through the problems and come up with solutions that make sense.

What you don’t owe your company

I know, it’s difficult to take a look at the x amount of years you spent building up the company you work for with hours of hard work and dedication and say “I owe them to stay.”

But here’s the thing: We’re not built to spend years and years of our lives doing things that aren’t challenging us. If we are truthful, they are not respecting the amount of work we do for them or the effort and energy we pour into their business. We were put on this earth to grow, and with growth, comes change. 

You don’t owe them your personal life. That includes the extra hours that you are giving that actually require another headcount. Now, humans are social creatures, and just because you spend eight hours (and even longer) a day with the people at work, it doesn’t mean that your entire social life should be wrapped up into work. Our hearts desire and need connection outside of our 9-5’s. Don’t deprive yours. 

You don’t owe them your health. And if working for this company is draining your soul, making you feel burned out, negatively impacting your mental health or creating unreasonable stress, then you’re giving them and they are depleting your most valuable resource. Too often, we forget that our bodies exist to support us, and neglect taking care of them in the name of “I need to do this thing for work” is a recipe for a physical, mental and emotional breakdown.  I’ve said it before, your health is your wealth!

What you owe yourself

Let me put this very frankly: You owe yourself everything. 

You owe it to yourself to enjoy the work you do. You owe it to yourself to demand respect for the amount of energy you put out. You owe it to yourself to claim your time, your health, and your energy for yourself. To spend it the way you want to and the way you deserve.

You owe yourself the kind of undying loyalty you think you owe your employer. Because if you give it away and your spark, joy, and health crumble, how much good is your company loyalty going to do for you, really?

Where does your loyalty lie?

Most people who have been in their corporate gigs for a long time will say that they’re loyal to their company. They want to do whatever it takes to keep things running smoothly, even if that means taking on extra responsibilities or devoting more time, with little to no resources or remuneration. 

But when the amount of loyalty to your company outweighs the loyalty to yourself, then you end up feeling stuck and burned out by the thing you’re devoting yourself to.

Here’s what I say: 

Choose yourself. 

Choose to do what makes you happy. 

And if that means taking from the company loyalty jar and giving that loyalty to yourself… Well, then, it’s time to dump the company out of that jar and pour it all over yourself. 

Your magnificence deserves to shine, because after all… 

You are magnificent!

And if you’re ready to find what that magnificence looks like for yourself, The Compass Club is waiting. Go ahead, see how grand it can be.