• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
NewslettersFortune CHRO

Here’s what actually makes employees happy and more likely to stay at their jobs 

Emma Burleigh
By
Emma Burleigh
Emma Burleigh
Reporter, Success
Down Arrow Button Icon
Emma Burleigh
By
Emma Burleigh
Emma Burleigh
Reporter, Success
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 26, 2024, 8:28 AM ET
Workers of different ages gather together at office.
The types of loyalty drivers for workers changes over the course of their careers. Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Good morning!

Recommended Video

It may be a hiring manager’s job market, but employers are still stressed out about how to recruit and retain their top talent. And as it turns out, they may be approaching employee loyalty all wrong. 

What employees want from their companies, and what inspires loyalty, changes over the course of their tenures, according to a new report from Workday, a cloud-based software company. 

Workers within the first few months of their new job are looking for organizational fit, the ability to express their opinions freely, and to be inspired by company strategy, among others things. 

But a few years into the job, what motivates them changes significantly. People who have been at a company between one and four years care most about their career path. Organizational fit is still of interest, but so are things like trust in strategy. And as employees become more established, they also begin to value their pay packages more, and expect them to reflect their growing expertise and business impact. 

For the employees who have committed to a company for the long haul—defined as four years or longer—their top loyalty driver is consistent: They want the money. Adequate compensation is the key to building loyalty with these folks, but trust in strategy comes in a close second. Seasoned workers now have the expertise and experience to seek opportunities elsewhere if they feel they’re not paid fairly.

Which is all to say, employers should take note: Loyalty is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. And targeting specific groups of employees could be the key for employers to unlock some critical retention numbers when they need them most. 

Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com

Around the Table

A round-up of the most important HR headlines.

China is pushing for higher wages and trying to fix structural issues in order to stimulate employment and get more young workers into non-white collar jobs. Bloomberg

DoorDash has partnered with two local delivery providers in Texas and California to bring on full-time employees with benefits—a move away from the gig work it has relied on. Business Insider

Around 2,000 unionized employees at Hawaii’s largest resort went on strike Tuesday, protesting for better working conditions, wages, and a reversal of COVID-era cuts. AP

Watercooler

Everything you need to know from Fortune.

Mindshift. Experts agree that perfectionism is stressful and unsustainable—instead, workers should strive for excellence and seek to achieve meaningful goals. —Mary E. Anderson

Skepticism. Trump is attempting to bring foreign-owned companies to the U.S., but it’s unclear whether his plan would work. —Adriana Gomez Licon, AP

Side-stepping supervisors. Most Gen Z workers say they’d rather advance within their individual roles than take on middle manager positions—a part of what they call “conscious unbossing.” —Orianna Rosa Royle

This is the web version of Fortune CHRO, a newsletter focusing on helping HR executives navigate the needs of the workplace. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
About the Author
Emma Burleigh
By Emma BurleighReporter, Success

Emma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance. Before joining the Success desk, she co-authored Fortune’s CHRO Daily newsletter, extensively covering the workplace and the future of jobs. Emma has also written for publications including the Observer and The China Project, publishing long-form stories on culture, entertainment, and geopolitics. She has a joint-master’s degree from New York University in Global Journalism and East Asian Studies.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Forget ‘baby bonuses.’ Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin says birth rates hinge on dependable fathers
NewslettersMPW Daily
Forget ‘baby bonuses.’ Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin says birth rates hinge on dependable fathers
By Emma HinchliffeJuly 20, 2026
10 hours ago
Coinbase’s big Base mistake offers an important lesson for the crypto industry
NewslettersFortune Crypto
Coinbase’s big Base mistake offers an important lesson for the crypto industry
By Jeff John RobertsJuly 20, 2026
16 hours ago
Middle aged businesswoman talking during a meeting
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
HR has a credibility problem—and it starts with not speaking the language of finance
By Kristin StollerJuly 20, 2026
16 hours ago
C-suite promotions now come with three or more jobs
C-SuiteNext to Lead
C-suite promotions now come with three or more jobs
By Ruth UmohJuly 20, 2026
16 hours ago
‘Harvest now, decrypt later’: Hackers are stealing data they can’t even read yet—banking on quantum computers to crack it later
NewslettersMarkets
‘Harvest now, decrypt later’: Hackers are stealing data they can’t even read yet—banking on quantum computers to crack it later
By Jim EdwardsJuly 20, 2026
18 hours ago
Tarek Mansour, co-founder of Kalshi, in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 29, 2025. (Photo: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Thanks to $5.7 billion in Kalshi and Polymarket bets, FIFA’s World Cup final may be ‘the largest gambling event in history’
By Andrew NuscaJuly 20, 2026
18 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
10 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
15 hours ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
2 days ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
21 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
18 hours ago
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
AI
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
By Aaron Walayat and The ConversationJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.