In the business world there is always a lot of talk about the importance of customer loyalty. But employee loyalty is every bit as important. Many people overlook the importance of employee, but to do so can be detrimental to your business. If you have not considered the issue before, there is no better time than now.

There are many reasons why having loyal employees is a must in your business. They are the backbone of the company, and the ones that will ultimately make or break your product or service. They represent your company and will either put your business goals into action or snuff them out before you can even figure out the root of the problem.

Employee loyalty should be at the top of every entrepreneur's list, and it should be integrated into your business strategy. It’s that important!

Here are a few secrets that I have learned about gaining employee loyalty:

Evaluate

The first thing you need to do is recognize that some people are naturally loyal, while others are not. So, fire those people who are not loyal. Replace them with people who have a history of being loyal in their prior positions. If they were loyal in the past, they will most likely be loyal in the future. Being loyal is a work ethic that people either have or they don’t, so it’s not really something you can teach or train them.

Reciprocate

The biggest secret is to give loyalty first. If you want employees to go above and beyond for you, you must go above and beyond for them. The best leaders get this. They fight for the team, and in return, the team fights for them. This doesn’t mean that you have to give them more financially. There are many non-financial rewards you can give that will help build loyalty, such as giving respect and praise, having an employee of the month, being flexible when they need time off, and listening to their suggestions and feedback.

Simplify

Those leaders who gain loyalty do it by removing barriers for everyone else. Their primary job is to continuously make everyone else’s job easier. If your employees see you trying to help make their job easier, they will be much more loyal.

Lines of communication

Often times, as business leaders, we tend to focus all of our attention on the consumers and our bottom line. But what we must realize is that when we turn some of that attention and focus to our employee loyalty, it will automatically help us reach those other goals. Employees who are loyal will provide better customer service and will be more apt to helping your business grow.

Another important issue when it comes to having loyal employees is keeping communication flowing. The businesses that focus on keeping their employees informed and in the know help to make them feel more a part of a team. When you take the time to clearly communicate with your employees, letting them know your expectations, their job duties, and provide feedback, they will be more loyal.

Putting it into action

To put this in action, take some time to focus on your employee loyalty. Work at building a loyal team and doing what it takes to make that happen. It may take you coming to terms with the fact that you need to replace a few people, or that you need to work on your own actions toward your employees. When you evaluate what needs to be done and get it done, everything else will fall into place.

About Mike Michalowicz

Mike Michalowicz is an entrepreneur, 3 times over - building 3 multi-million dollar companies over 15 years. He is the author of the "business cult classic" (per Entrepreneur Magazine) The Toilet Paper Entrepeneur, a small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal and President of Obsidian Launch a behavioral marketing firm.