Employee loyalty, yes; but what about company loyalty?

I was a panelist for a seminar on human resources held during a recent industry convention. The quality, concern and knowledge of my fellow panelists who were distributors and manufacturers impressed me.

During the question and answer session, one of the audience members complained that younger, 22- or 23-year-old employees, didn’t have the loyalty to the company that their predecessors had.

Another audience member chimed in that no young person today knows what he wants at that age, and might change careers several times before he “found himself.” A good point to say the least.

Another person noted that older workers had much more loyalty than their younger counterparts.

Is that true? I guess so, but you can’t help but wonder if loyalty still exists today in most companies—regardless of age.

Look at the Gillette Co. It traditionally was one of the best companies to work for. Its benefits were outstanding and the working conditions great. Last year, Procter & Gamble announced it was buying Gillette.

Here’s the kicker: the chairman of Gillette, who has been at the company for just a few years, will receive $184 million as part of his package. The vice chairman will receive $44 million.

Oh, and by the way, several thousand jobs will be eliminated. You can bet that those employees won’t be getting millions in severance.

Then there’s Polaroid. At one time, it was considered to be one of the most progressive companies in the country. “When you worked for Polaroid, you felt like you had died and went to heaven,” one 30-year veteran of the company recently told me.

Several years ago, Polaroid’s stock was floundering in the 20s and the company hired a new chairman to revitalize the company. Stock plunged to a couple of bucks a share and in October 2001, the company declared bankruptcy. The chairman received millions of dollars in severance. A new CEO came on board.

Retired company employees were notified that their “lifetime” health and retirement benefits were being slashed despite promises made to them years before. Some workers couldn’t even pay for their health prescriptions.

Polaroid was purchased Wednesday for a reported $426 million. The chairman of Polaroid (who was only there for three years) and his CEO will receive a combined payout of $21.3 million.

But all was not lost for the 6,000 Polaroid retired workers, many of whom had been at the company 30 to 40 years, and had lost their retirement/health benefits. They’re also going to be receiving a check. For $47. That’s right. Each of them will receive $47.

The payout is money left over from the employees’ unsuccessful attempts to force the company to reinstate benefits, so reported The Boston Globe.

I can’t help but wonder: Shouldn’t loyalty be a two-way street?