by Karen Yvonne

Created on: January 14, 2009   Last Updated: May 23, 2012

Dedicated employees are a company's greatest asset. Many people confuse dedication with longevity, but they are very different things. While dedication is normally evidenced over time, even newer employees can exhibit dedication on the job. Conversely, just because Jane has worked for ABC Company all her life, does not make her a dedicated employee. Dedication takes passion, commitment, ownership, and a continual striving to improve.

To be considered dedicated, you should share a zeal or passion for something, or someone, in your company. You can't be dedicated to something that is fundamentally opposed to everything you hold sacred. Ideally your own passion will align with your company's mission, values and goals. Being passionate about an individual, or company leader, is possible, but dangerous. People can leave, be promoted or change their ideas and behavior.

Dedicated employees understand and support the view of the company that is presented to them and evidenced in what they see as corporate behavior. This implies the value alignment mentioned earlier, and expands to include the employee's ability to fully commit to and engage themselves in their work activities. They find importance and value in what they do and hold themselves accountable to do it well.

Dedicated employees demonstrate interest in the company's performance, growth, products and public perception. They are proud of the products or services the company provides and look for ways to improve them. They care about their customers and provide a high level of service to them. They take ownership for not only the things they are personally responsible for, but for what happens in their company as well.

Dedicated employees identify with their jobs. They see them as more than simply a means to a paycheck. They consistently try to exceed customer, manager and peer expectations. Dedicated employees may not be striving to climb any corporate ladders, but they will want to continuously improve on what they do and contribute to the company's overall improvement.

Dedicated employees are not complacent, they care about what is happening and take action to remedy problems and capture opportunities. Dedicated employees aren't consistently tardy, taking off early, or late in completing assigned tasks. They don't acquiesce to immoral or illegal acts and they don't tolerate coworkers that do. They don't necessarily show up for work when they are ill, but they don't look for excuses to get out of work either.

Some people work for a company for many years, showing up everyday and doing what is asked of them. Dedicated employees anticipate what will be asked and don't rest on what they accomplished yesterday.

Employers have a responsibility to create an environment that engenders dedication. Shortcutting quality, limiting training, treating customers badly and misusing funds will not create a situation that anyone should feel any dedication to. Employers that show genuine interest and caring for their customers and employees will create an atmosphere that inspires dedication.

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