Across industries, one challenge remains constant: building a team that delivers consistently. With talent retention becoming more complex in 2024, companies are often faced with this key question
Should we invest in skilled employees who lack interest, or focus on loyal team members who are eager to grow?
In this blog, we break down this dilemma and share a practical and research-backed approach to making the right decision especially for businesses in manufacturing, e-commerce, and financial services. We’ll also touch upon how employee engagement, corporate training, and leadership development play a vital role in shaping strong teams.
1. Two Employee Profiles That Shape Your Business Culture
Let’s begin with defining the two profiles.
Skilled but Disengaged
These employees have technical know-how, industry experience, and a good résumé. But they’re disconnected from the company’s goals and culture. They do their job but rarely go beyond the brief.
Common signs include:
- Lack of participation in team discussions
- Minimal interest in innovation or improvement
- Doing the bare minimum to get by
Loyal and Evolving
These team members may not have all the skills initially, but they’re dedicated, curious, and open to learning. They care about the company and contribute consistently over time.
Common traits:
- Ask for feedback
- Eager to attend training
- Step up during challenges
🔎 According to a 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it simply invested in their learning.
2. The Real Cost of Disengaged Talent in 2024
The global cost of disengagement is high. Gallup’s latest data shows that only 23% of employees are actively engaged at work, and disengaged employees cost the global economy $8.8 trillion in productivity losses.
In sectors like:
- Manufacturing – disengagement leads to operational errors, wastage, and low production efficiency.
- E-commerce – slow responses, poor customer service, and low innovation.
- Financial services – compliance lapses, low client retention, and poor communication.
Disengagement affects not just morale but business outcomes:
- Poor quality output
- High employee turnover
- Low customer satisfaction
- Missed targets and increased costs
Employee engagement should be a strategic priority in every business growth plan.
3. Why Loyalty and Growth Mindset Outperform Skill Alone
Employees who are loyal and open to learning:
- Stay longer
- Work with a sense of purpose
- Accept feedback and adapt
- Bring stability to the team
📊 A 2022 Harvard Business Review study found that companies with high internal mobility (where employees grow within the business) perform 15% better financially than those who rely on external hiring alone.
Let’s look at a scenario:
You have two team members in a sales role. One knows the product well but resists using new CRM tools. The other is still learning but picks up digital tools fast and wants to learn. In six months, the second employee becomes more productive and stays longer.
That’s the power of evolution backed by loyalty.
4. Skill vs. Will: Where Each One Fits Best
Of course, skill is important especially in roles that demand deep technical knowledge or risk management. But skill without involvement often leads to friction.
Let’s break it down simply:
| Situation | Best Fit |
| Urgent project deadlines | Skilled professionals (if aligned with the team) |
| Long-term innovation | Loyal and evolving employees |
| Building leadership pipeline | Loyal and evolving employees |
| High-risk or technical decision-making | Skilled professionals with strong engagement |
If the workplace only rewards skill, loyalty is ignored. If it only rewards loyalty, performance may drop. Businesses need both but especially loyalty with learning appetite.
This is where a strong team culture helps maintain the balance.
5. Why Leaders Must Actively Shape Both Profiles
Smart leaders don’t choose one type over the other, they develop both.
If you’re managing a disengaged but skilled employee:
- Reconnect them with the bigger purpose
- Offer real challenges that push them out of routine
- Include them in leadership conversations
If you’re managing a loyal and evolving employee:
- Give them structured growth plans
- Assign mini leadership roles
- Provide skill-building support through internal mentoring
🧠 As per McKinsey’s 2023 report on workforce transformation, organizations that offer regular internal training outperform competitors by 22% in employee satisfaction and 17% in client retention.
6. How to Build a Growth-Driven Team Culture
Whether you lead a factory floor, an e-commerce warehouse, or a financial advisory team culture matters.
Here’s a simple framework:
- Create buddy systems between skilled and evolving staff
- Schedule monthly peer-learning sessions
- Focus on communication, leadership, and team alignment not just technical training
- Use real business scenarios for practice-based learning
Practical Tip: Rotate tasks monthly within teams so everyone experiences different challenges. This boosts learning and breaks comfort zones.
We’ve seen great success with this approach in our leadership training sessions at Eclatmax.
7. Why Investing in People Drives Business Growth
Hiring skilled people gets the job done today. But developing loyal and growth-ready people builds the future of the business.
Why?
- They cost less to retain
- They protect team morale
- They evolve with changing business needs
- They bring referrals and build company culture
📈 In a 2023 PwC workforce study, over 70% of employees said they would be more productive if their company invested in their future. Yet, only 34% said they receive regular development support.This gap is a missed opportunity and a space where you can lead by investing in corporate training and executive coaching.
8. Corporate Training & Coaching: The Missing Link in Most Teams
Many businesses don’t have a structured approach to growth. That’s where corporate training and executive coaching come in.
When you train people regularly, you:
- Keep engagement high
- Build future leaders from within
- Reduce errors, delays, and drop-offs
- Align everyone with business goals
Corporate training is not a one-day event. It’s an ongoing investment that returns:
- Higher team performance
- Better retention rates
- Stronger cross-functional collaboration
At Eclatmax, we design practical training programs for teams in manufacturing, e-commerce, and financial services. From floor supervisors to senior leaders, our sessions focus on:
- Leadership development
- Team building
- Communication & emotional intelligence
- Real-time business problem solving
9. So, Who Builds the Business Better?
👉 The answer is both.
But if you’re thinking long-term Loyal and Evolving employees are more valuable.
They:
- Show commitment even during tough times
- Grow into dependable leaders
- Strengthen company culture
- Stay when others leave
And with the right training and leadership, they develop the skills you need. The payoff is trust, consistency, and sustainable performance.
10. Final Word: Train Your Team Before You Replace Them
If your team has potential, invest in them. Don’t rush to hire new talent when existing employees can be coached and developed.
✅ Help the skilled stay engaged
✅ Help the loyal grow faster
✅ Help your managers lead better
What You Can Do Today:
- Identify 2-3 team members with high loyalty and help them upskill
- Create a 90-day learning plan for your team
- Book a leadership training workshop with Eclatmax
Your team is your strongest asset. Build them right and they’ll build your business.