Most organizations talk a good game about loyalty, but miss the moment of truth: what happens when someone walks away. Whether it's a customer canceling a contract or a valued employee handing in her resignation, the loss stings. But here's the upside: win-backs can be far more potent than acquisitions. People who return - employees or customers - often become more loyal than those who never left. But only if the organization earns the return.
Work is filled with contradictions and disruptions these days, and the uncertainty can make the workplace feel like a constant emergency. As a result, people are stressed, pessimistic, and pulling back from their organizations-but they're not disconnecting from each other. Our new research shows that, even under tremendous pressure, employees are "quiet connecting": helping each other regardless of what's happening at the company level. Organizations would do well to recognize and strengthen these organic bonds because they can serve as a powerful counterforce.