Contributed by Timothy Keiningham and Lerzan Aksoy

There’s a good reason to develop your loyalty skills. Our loyalty as employees impacts our happiness at work. According to the landmark Ipsos Loyalty Study, the most comprehensive study of loyalty ever conducted, employees with the highest levels of loyalty to their job also characterized themselves as happiest.

Unfortunately, the same study found that only about 30 percent of us feel loyal to our employers, or feel that our employers have earned our loyalty.

So, what does it mean to be a loyal coworker? Here are five loyalty skills–and ways to improve your proficiency in each one.

Support/assistance. Do you offer help to coworkers in the form of technical help, brainstorming, expertise, and sharing contacts? Help a peer do a better job, struggle less, learn a new skill, impress the boss, or gain new respect with clients and coworkers.

Giving time/attention. Do you take an interest in the workplace challenges and projects of your peers? Ask questions, listen well, and take the time to pay attention to the concerns of your coworkers. Show empathy, and demonstrate that you understand their issues and really “get” their point of view.

Recognition/encouragement. Do you give sincere compliments to coworkers when they’ve done an excellent job on a task, or when they demonstrate superior skills, say, while leading a meeting or doing a presentation? Instead of being withholding or competitive, show fellow employees that you’re cheering them on.

Self-sacrifice/commitment. Do you offer to stay late, do a hated task, or stand up for a coworker’s unpopular viewpoint in a controversial workplace debate? Show colleagues that you are willing to put yourself out for them.

Reliability/trust. Do you follow through on what you say you’ll do, and are you someone whom others can count on–to confide in, to lean on, or to be there in a pinch? Demonstrate to your coworkers that you are consistent and competent–and that you are willing to be the go-to person when required.

In our every-man-for-himself work environment, developing more loyalty toward fellow employees will give you a new sense of fulfillment and meaning in your job. When others view you as loyal, they will return these qualities and gestures in kind–and the quality of your workplace relationships will soar.

About the Authors

Timothy Keiningham is a world-renowned authority in the field of loyalty measurement and management, and Global Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for Ipsos Loyalty, one of the world’s largest business research organizations. Lerzan Aksoy is an acclaimed expert in the science of loyal management, and Associate Professor of Marketing at Fordham University. They are coauthors of a new book, with Luke Williams, entitled Why Loyalty Matters (BenBella Books, 2009, www.whyloyaltymatters.com), and creators LoyaltyAdvisor (www.LoyaltyAdvisor.com), a web-based tool that analyzes your loyalty across multiple dimensions proven to link to your success