OM DENNE EPISODE
Loyalty Is a Broken Contract… And It’s Time to Stop Pretending Otherwise
What if the biggest misunderstanding in the workplace today isn’t about AI, remote work, or even talent shortages… but about loyalty?
In this episode of Workquake Weekly, Steve Cadigan challenges one of the most deeply held assumptions in leadership: that employees should be loyal to organizations, even as the terms of employment have fundamentally changed.
From companies reducing entry-level roles in anticipation of AI, to return-to-office mandates pushing top performers out the door, the signals are everywhere. The traditional “loyalty in exchange for security” contract no longer reflects reality. And yet, many organizations are still operating as if it does.
Steve unpacks what he calls the “Employer Loyalty Paradox” and explores why this disconnect continues to persist… even when both employers and employees know the old model is broken.
Drawing on his experience as LinkedIn’s first Chief HR Officer, Steve shares the story behind the “Tour of Duty” approach… a more transparent, growth-focused model that reframes the employer-employee relationship around mutual value, not false promises.
You’ll hear why:
Retention may no longer be the best measure of success
Growth and employability are becoming the real currency of work
Organizations that embrace shorter tenures can actually create more value
The future of work depends on honesty, not nostalgia
This episode is a call for leaders to rethink what they’re really offering… and what employees are actually agreeing to.
Because the problem isn’t that loyalty is gone.
It’s that the contract behind it hasn’t caught up.
And the organizations willing to rewrite that contract… are the ones that will win.
Tune in for a candid, practical, and optimistic take on what comes next.
