Loyalty

Ernest Conine’s article on corporate loyalty (Editorial Pages, Feb. 4) opens up the “chicken or the egg” debate that has prompted this letter. The debate centers on the issue of whether the employee should first show loyalty to gain benefits or the corporation should first give benefits to gain loyalty.

My father was the best employee I ever saw. He was always the first one in and the last one to leave. My father worked when he was sick (when he wasn’t contagious) and he worked on weekends if necessary. As he was in a salaried position, none of these habits entitled him to extra pay. He was however, from the old school, the generation that believed that if one worked hard and helped the company prosper, one would prosper in addition. Using only a sixth-grade education, he moved from a job on an assembly line to production manager in the world’s largest manufacturer of mirrors.

When he was 65, the company for which he worked was sold and he was forced into retirement, despite having many productive years to contribute. Now, my father and mother receive Social Security and a small pension as their income sources.

My father’s life has been a lesson for me. First, he taught me the work ethic and now, without realizing it, he has taught me no to expect anything from anyone, let alone a company for which one works. I still work hard, but there are no expectations, and I judge by what is done, not by what is said.

STEVEN L. SMITH North Hollywood