[noodle]

i wouldn't consider that to be a rule of thumb, but it is definitely something worth mulling over as an employer.

i know a good number of employees who were extremely loyal not because they were bad, but because they had been with a company for so long that their skillset had narrowed from deterioration down to exactly what their job was, and they were very good at it.

[asterix]

Of course, not a rule of thumb. I guess loyalty comes in many flavors. Loyal good employees with not so aggressive career ambition is probably one of the good flavors for an employer. It is the loyal bad employees flavor one needs to watch out for.