Rethinking Company Loyalty Summary

Much about April Leatherwood's attitude towards her career and employer, the Memphis Police, contrasts with the predictions by Johnson's article, "Rethinking Company Loyalty" (2005). For example, Johnson's expectation of modern employees is that they are more likely to be loyal to their own careers than to the employer (Johnson, 2005), yet April was exactly the opposite, showing such complete dedication to the police department and cause that she risked her health, mental state, relationships, and even her life to fulfill her duty to the absolute best of her abilities. Indeed, she literally lived as if she were a drug addict, all day, every day for an entire year, while often witnessing disturbing events, because, she says, "she loved the camaraderie of the department and its protect-and-serve mission" (Brusseau, 2012).

Johnson posits that modern workers are disillusioned by companies that demand steadfast, unquestioning loyalty

In addition, she goes on to provide potential strategies to managers that facilitate a mutually beneficial alignment between employees' career goals and company goals. In April's case, however, it appears the Memphis police force already is a good example of reciprocal employee and employer loyalty, since she was willing to essentially sacrifice a year of her life for the force. From her case, in fact, it does not sound as if she only suffered the gruelling stress of living on the street just so that she could get a raise or promotion. Rather, while she did indeed receive a promotion to detective, from the reading it seems more of a bonus that she wasn't expecting than the reason for her