The Hindu Business Line : Waning loyalty

LOYALTY was at one time a highly prized value. At the household level, it was well-recognised as the cementing force of families. The joint family system was nothing if not based on a network of enduring loyalties. Not only are those networks getting splintered, even filial duties no longer matter. The break-up of families in quest of new economic pastures round the globe is aggravating these tendencies.

The master-servant loyalty too is on its last legs. The olden days were full of instances of domestic servants, cooks, bearers, drivers and the like sticking with families for life, and sometimes for generations.

Nowadays, not only is there a heavy and rapid turnover, but those engaging them have to be watchful lest they eventually turn out to be robbers and murderers.

At the societal level, tribes, castes, communities and religions have largely survived so far on the strength of their respective loyalties. But the same intensity and fervour as in the past is not there. The decline is accounted for by the spread of education and increased cosmopolitanism.

As regards political loyalty, we are only too familiar with political defections and the attendant horse-trading.

Companies are hard put to it to retain customer loyalty even to long-established brands of goods. The advantage of keeping the old customers intact will be evident when it is remembered it costs twice or thrice as much to scout for new customers to replace the old ones with. Customer fickleness, if not downright disaffection, is now the order of the day.

Partly, this is due to the variety of products and services offered at competitive prices, tempting customers to experiment with newer ones. Partly also, they have become more demanding and are quick to punish those who do not measure up with immediate withdrawal of their patronage.

And finally, employer-employee loyalty too has suffered a serious battering. For a while, there were some attempts to stem the tide of disloyalty in the early stages with the lure of lucrative career path and prospects.

Now it is a free-for-all, with employers indulging in poaching, and employees offering themselves for the highest bidders. There is not a clue in sight on how to reverse these trends.

B.S. Raghavan

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