You keep a low profile, because if you step out, you're likely to be noticed. Critics also question what employers gain from a covenant that torpedoes loyalty. But little blind allegiance remains in environments where workers know their jobs could disappear overnight. The new deal works best when both sides pledge to honor whatever agreement they forge for as long as it lasts rather than to be bound to each other for life. With the loss of loyalty come issues of competitive intelligence, of particular concern to IS departments.
Proponents call that risk a necessary trade-off for getting rid of the lifetime job warranty.
And executives at several new-covenant organizations say that, so far, defections are rare because employees value the open atmosphere and new opportunities. His goal, he says, is to dissuade Johnsonville workers from going to competitors by treating them better than any other employer in the industry. At Kingston, which employs about 350 people, fewer than 10 have quit for any reason since the company's founding in 1987. If you treat employees the way they should be treated, you're not going to have a turnover problem. And, like others, both executives say contented employees lead to contented customers, which benefits the bottom line.