Factors affecting employee commitment

Factors adverting employee allegianceOver the last ten-spot years, the study of commission has advanced in many different directions. A variety of disciplines have adopted the deceaseic as a theme in their research and these have offered fresh and signifi merchantmant insights. These youthful advances include new approaches to both the conceptualization of employee allegiance and the particular human resource practices intend to subjoin it.Current research concerning employee perpetration high school gearlights the pitfalls of viewing consignment as a one-dimensional construct that rouse be enhanced by a particular human resource policy. This assumes that a particular practice, for specimen offering flexible get goinging arrangements or more than than training, lead have a significant and dear effect on employee load. Unfortunately, in practice it is non that simple because there is no single solution. entirely employees wants and charters cannot be address ed by a single policy.The effective functioning of an brass instrument highly depends on the trueness of itsemployees. In fact, the commitment of employees may be a key factor thatdetermines the victory of a company in the modern world since, in the situation of the growing competition and the uniform implementation of new technologies a company needs to have well-qualified and reliable personnel department to nourish its position in the market. At the same sentence, the potentiality and productivity of defecate of employees still stay the major factors that can give way to the progress of the company. On the other hand, nowadays it is obvious that financial stimuli solely can hardly motivate employees to sue more effectively and productively. In much(prenominal) a situation, employees commitment turns to be of a paramount importance since it is due to the high commitment of employees they can perform collateral results of their work, affix its effectiveness and pro ductivity, while low commitment leads, as a rule, to poor results of the functioning of the entire scheme.DEFINATION OF TERMS. dedicationMeyer Allen 2001 define commitment as is a stabilizing force that acts to throw behavioural direction when presentiment/equity conditions atomic number 18 not met and do not function.An obliging force which requires that the person honor the commitment even in theface of fluctuating attitudes and whims. (Brown 1996)The relative strength of an privates identification with and involvement in aparticular cheek (Mowday et al 1979)According to Salancik (1977) commitment is a province of being in which an individual exits bound by his action to beliefs that sustain his activities and his own involvementAllen meyer,1990, commitment is a mental state that binds the individual tothe organization.EMPLOYEE freightIt is the psychological bond of an employee to an organization, the strength of which depends on the degree of employee involvement, emp loyee loyalty and belief in the value of the organization.As defined by Poter (1974) Employee commitment is the relative strength of theindividuals identification with and involvement in a particular organization. It consistsof three factorsA strong desire to outride a member of the organizationA strong belief in, and acceptance of, the value and goals of the organizationA readiness to exert gigantic effort on behalf of the organizationMODELS OF COMMITMENTA THREE MODEL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF ORGANIZATION COMMITMENT.This molding of organizational commitment model was substantial by Meyer and Allen. According to the model, organizational commitment smooths at to the lowest degree three general themes.1.emotive commitment to the organization2.Continuance Commitment The perceived cost associated with leaving it3.Normative Commitment- The obligation to tarry with it.Affective CommitmentIts the employees emotional attachment to, identification with and involvement in theorganization .Employees with a strong affectional commitment continue oeuvre with theorganization because they want to.Continuance CommitmentThe individual commits to the organization because he/she perceives high cost oflosing organizational membership including frugal costs (such as pensionaccruals) and social costs (friendship ties with co-workers) that could be incurred.The employee remains with the organization because he/she has to.I t refers to an awargonness of the costs associated with leaving the organization. The capableness cost of leaving an organization include the threat of wasting the time and effort spent acquiring non transferable skills, losing mesmeric benefits, giving up seniority base privileges or having to uproot family and disrupt personalized kinships.It also develops as a result of lack of alternative employment opportunities.Employees in this category remain because they need to.NORTMATIVE COMMITMENTSRefers to a feeling of obligation to continue employment . Employees in this categoryremain in the organization because they feel they ought to.Organization can develop normative commitment by providing reward in advance e.g. paying college tuition. Normative pressures may also make an individual feel that they ought to remain indoors the organization.Acknowledging these investments makes employees feel a sense of obligation to reciprocate by committing themselves to the organization until the debt has been paid .One essential shew is that not all forms of employee commitment atomic number 18 positively associated with superior work (Meyer Allen, 1997). For example, an employee who has low emotive and normative commitment, solely who has high continuance commitment is unlikely to yield performance benefits. The main causal come onncy such an employee remains with an organisation is for the negative crusade that the costs associated with leaving ar too great.THE graduate(prenominal) COMMITMENT MODEL. ( IN STRATEGIC HRM.)This model embraces workforce commitment and identification with the organizationsvalues and goals. The main features of high commitment model argon1. inducement of c atomic number 18r ladders and emphasis on trainability and commitment ashighly characteristic of employees at all directs in the organization.2. A high level of functional flexibleness with the giving up of potentially rigid cabledescriptions.3. The reduction of hierarchies and the ending of status differentials.4. Heavy reliance on the police squad structure for dissemination of information ( groupbuilding) structure work and problem solving.5.Job normal as something counsel consciously does in order to provide professions which have a considerable level of intrinsic motivation.6.A policy of no compulsory layoff or redundancies and use of permanent employee with possible use of temporary workers to shock fluctuation in the demand for labour.7. New forms of assessment and pay system and more specifically moral excellen ce pay profitsharing8. A high involvement of employees in the commission of quality.CONCEPTUALISATION OF COMMITMENT MODEL DEVELOPED BY OREILLYAND CHATMAN. (1986)OReilly and Chatman(1986) developed their multidimensional framework on thebasis of the assumption that commitment represents an attitude towards theorganization. For them, commitment takes on three distinct forms, which they labeled1. form2. Identification3. InternalizationCompliance occurs when attitudes and corresponding behaviors are adopted inorder to gain specific rewards. E.g being very tactful towards stack so thatyou get that promotionIdentification occurs when an individual accepts influence to establish or maintain asatisfying allianceRelationship / Internalization occurs when influence is accepted because theattitudes and behaviors one is being boost to adopt are congruent with existing values. Employees therefrom become pull to organizations which they share value e.g. an organization that encourages int egrity is likely to win the commitment of an individual who believes in integrity.TYPES OF COMMITMENT .OMalley (2000) contends that a review of the commitment literary productions produces fivegeneral factors which advert to the development of employee commitmentAffiliative CommitmentAn organizations enkindles and values are congruous with those of the employee,and the employee feels accepted by the social environment of the organization.Associative CommitmentOrganizational membership increases employees self-importance-esteem and status. Theemployee feels countenance to be associated with the organisation.Moral CommitmentEmployees perceive the organization to be on their side and the organization evokes a sense of mutual obligation in which both the organization and the employee feel a sense of line of products to each other. This type of commitment is also generally referred to in the literary productions as Normative Commitment.Affective commitmentEmployees derive atone ment from their work and their colleagues, and their work environment is bookive of that satisfaction. Some researchers (eg Allen Meyer, 1991) mention that this is the nearly important form of commitment as it has the most potential benefits for organizations. Employees who have high affective commitment are those who willing go beyond the call of duty for the good of the organization. In late(a) literature this form of commitment has also been referred to as engagement and is the form of commitment that is most usually measurable by organizations.Structural commitmentEmployees believe they are involved in a fair economic exchange in which they benefit from the relationship in material ways. thither are enticements to enter and remain in the organization and there are barriers to leaving. This type of commitment is also frequently referred to in the literature as Continuance Commitment.FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT.The workplace is a dynamic field and to remain competi tive, employee commitmentis important..The following factors affect employee comittemntWorkplace values.If employees believe that their organization values quality products they will engage in behaviors that will contribute to high quality. If employees are convinced that their organization values participation they will be more likely to feel as though their participation will make a difference.They will thus be motivated and be more willing to seek solutions and makesuggestions to contribute to the organization success. subdue supervisor interpersonal relationship.Supervisors behavior include sharing appropriate information, allowing mutuality of influence, recognizing and rewarding good performance and not abusing the vulnerability of others . The extent to which the supervisor displays these behaviors will thus largely determine subordinate commitment levelJob characteristics.The extent that a job is structured to provide regular feedback and autonomy as wellas a sense of task completionAn increase in perceived experience strengthens emotional bonds with an organization. A heightened sense of personal control has a positive consequence for employees attitudes and behaviors at work.When tasks are Intrinsically satisfying, employees tend to be more commit.Commitment is low when employees are given repetitive turn of events tasks to complete.A job that allows a high degree of autonomy and the absence of close supervisionincreases commitment.DemographicsAGE.A range of demographic variables have been found to be related to employee commitment (Mathieu Zajac, 1990). For a variety of reasons, age has been found to be a positive predictor of employee commitment. As Mathieu Zajac (1990) suggest, the older employees become, the less alternative employment options are available. As a result, older employees may view their current employment more favourably. Dunham et al. (1994) suggest older employees may be more committed because they have a stronger investmen t and greater explanation with their organization.GENDERWith regard to gender, a number of studies (eg Mathieu Zajac, 1990) have reported women as being more committed than men. This is typically explained by women having to overcome more barriers than men to get to their position in the organization.MARITAL circumstanceMarital status has also been shown to relate to commitment, with married employees usually showing more commitment (Mathieu Zajac, 1990). However, it is suggested that the reason for this is because married employees will typically have greater financial and family responsibilities, which increases their need to remain with theorganization. Note, however, that this refers to structural commitment (or continuance commitment) in that the cost associated with leaving the organization increases commitment to the organization. As mentioned previously, structural commitment does not necessarily relate to increase performance.Recruitment ProceduresOMalley (2000) suggest s that organizations need to pay more attention to addressing employees social need to affiliate and belong, in order to constrain commitment, the organization moldiness have the right sort of employees in the first instance.Employees feelings of belonging start to develop long before employees join the organization. The following information should be shared with employee to enhance commitmentshare details about the organizationprovide employees with help and support throughout the enlisting andselection procedureconvey the interests and values that the organization shares with employees.Organizations need to be attractive to the right sort of people thus the initial contactbetween the organization and the prospective outlook is very important.DEVELOPING AN EMPLOYER BRAND.As Troy (1998) points out, increasingly organizations are attempting to communicatewith prospective employees in a coherent manner by developing an employer brandThe brand should condense the basic nature of th e organization, what its values are and what it would be like to work there. The principal purpose of the brand is to efficiently bring employers and employees in concert in order to establish a relationship. Thus, a good brand should convey both the comical benefits of the organizational environment and the type of person who is likely to do well in that setting. The organization must(prenominal) then ensure that it delivers these promises to its employees, or its efforts will have been wasted.Employers should, therefore, devote a portion of the selection surgery to assessingcultural fit.Met ExpectationsEmployees will be more committed if there is a good match between what the person is looking for in a job, and what the job provides . Commitment will be greater when employees experiences on the job match their expectations. Unmet expectations are a source of low morale and dissatisfaction. Such expectations usually relate to the type of work employees are given to do and the op portunities they receive for training and development.Factors affecting commitment. By Kochan and dyan as cited by Armstrong2005.1.Strategic level-supportive business strategies-Top management value of commitment-Effective voice of HR in strategy makingSupportive business strategies may include activities that increase employee involvement thus reinforcing commitment. When top management is commited to its employees the employees too become commited. Fair human resource policies e.g a policy of promotion establish on merit will also increase commitment2.Hr policy level-staffing based on employment stabilization investing on training and development-continent compensation that reinforces cooperationTraining increases employees skill making them more commited because theyenjoy what they do.(Affective commitment)3.Workplace level Selection based on high standards-Job design and team work-employee involvement in problem solving-climate of cooperation and place.Selecting people with th e right skills for a job will ensure that the employee remains commited as they will be efficient in their duties. Efficiency increases commitment. Designinh jobs e.g allowing flexi time,job enlargement,job enrichment and job rotation ensures that monotony is kept at bay and commitment is enhancedOther factors that affect employee commitment by Purcell et al(2003 in Armstrong ,2005) includei.Received training last yearii.Are fulfill with career opportunitiesiii.Are satisfied with performance appraisal systemThink managers are good in people management (Leadership)v.Find work challengingvi.Think their form helps them achieve a work-life sense of equilibratevii.Are satisfied with communication or company performanceBenefits of employee commitmentHigh level of employee commitments heart and soul that employees are really enthusiastic about their job and, their performance will be better as well as the effectiveness and productivity of their work higher.Employee commitment also evok es a profound interest of an employee to his/her work. This means that he/she enjoys the job he/she does. Consequently, the level of employees satisfaction will be high if they are really committed to their work. Employee commitment may be also cost saving since committed employees are highly motivated that means that they do not need increasing financial rewards for their work, though it does not necessarily mean that employees should not receive financial rewards at all, but the expenses of the organization at this point may decrease.The performance benefits accrued from increased employee commitment have beenwidely demonstrated in the literature. To careen but a few, these includei.increased job satisfaction (Armstrong 2005)ii.increased job performance (Mathieu Zajac, 1990)iii.increased total eliminate to shareholders .iv.increased sales (Barber et al., 1999)v. rock-bottom employee turnover (Cohen, 1991) decreased intention to leavedecreased intention to search for alternative employers (Cohen, 1993)vii.decreased absenteeism (Cohen, 1993, Barber et al. 1999)Employee commitment should be viewed as a business necessity. Organizations who have difficulty in retaining and replacing competent employees will find it hard to optimize performance. There are not only the immediate expenses of the recruitment process, but other hidden costs such as management time and lost productivity as new employees take time to become effective in their roles.Commitment also has the following effects1. I t results in self directed( self initiave) application to do the job2. regular attendance,3. nominal supervision4. a high level of effort5. it increases the intention to stay- loyaltyNEGATIVE EFFECTS OF LOW EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT. moo commitment of employees may lead to negative results and undermine the normal functioning of an organization or, at any rate, decrease the effectiveness of work of employees considerably. The low employee commitment has a number of disadvantages whi ch deteriorate the work of each employee and the entire organization (OMalley 2000).Low commitment leads to the low level of interest of employees in their work. Consequently, if employees are not sufficiently interested in their work they will naturally work worse than they can. In other words, the low commitment decreases the effectiveness and productivity of work for employees are not really interested intheir work and its outcomes. Naturally, in such a situation, they can hardly beinterested in a positive performance of the organization they work for.MEASURING EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT .This can be done through an attitude survey, employee satisfaction survey, employee commitment survey and performance appraisals. Questioners are usually administered to collect relevant data that management later uses when decision making ways of increasing employee commitment.Sample of a questioner attached(Annex 1)WAYS OF ENHANCING EMPLOYEE COMMITMENTOrganizations can use non-homogeneous strategie s to increase employee commitment. Thisstrategies includeInduction and TrainingThe institution programme should be the final step of the recruitment and selection process. A good induction programme will make new employees more known with and more at ease within the organization. Employees enter the organization with an assumption of compatibility and should be welcomed.Relationships with ManagersThis refers to how the quality of the relationship between managers and theiremployees relates to the development of commitment.Employees commitment reflects their day to day contacts with their line managersabout their job, and the way in which butt targets are set. Effectivecommunication on job-related issues is a key ingredient in securing individual performance. To a great extent, individual line managers are responsible for ensuring that these maintenance behaviours occur.With poor management, the most well developed organizational programme canbreak down at the point of transmissio n.Relationships with ColleaguesEmotional attachment to colleagues in the workplace is an important element of commitment, though It is not enough on its own. Unless there is occasion for frequent and rewarding interaction, stronger feelings of belonging that can bind employees to the organization are unlikely to emerge. Organizations that want to build high levels of commitment should look for ways to build this through group activities both in and out of workGroup MembershipTo build commitment, being a member of a particular organization must not only satisfy employees social need to affiliate and belong, but must also create a sense of collective identity that differentiates the group from other organizations.There are many situational features that contribute to a sense of group membership. The more exposure that employees have to these features, the more likely they will be to feel like a part of the group and to incorporate that membership into their concept of who they are.Org anizational arbitrator and TrustIt is also argued that employees evaluate their experiences at work in terms of whether they are fair and reflect a concern on the part of the organization for the well- being of the employees (Meyer, 1997). Treating employees fairly, communicates the essence that management is commitment to the employees. This suggests that organizations wanting to foster greater commitment from their employees must first provide evidence of their commitment to their employees.When there is trust, employees are willing to suspend judgement and defer to the authority of others. In addition, trust permits organizational flexibility because a payback need be neither immediate nor of equivalent value. OMalley (2000) identifies four areas in which employees sense of trust in the employer can be increasedi.Growth As most employees want to be more proficient in their job, a goodway to instil trust is to attend to employees development needs.ii.Work-Life balance Most empl oyees would like organizations to allow greaterpersonal time when needed.iii.Individual accommodation Acts of organizational flexibility or benevolencetoward employees.iv.Health and Safety Organizations that are committed to protecting employeeshealth and safety are more likely to be trustedPromotionPolicies and practices concerning promotion can also affect commitment. . Among those who are considered for promotion, the outcome of the decision is likely to have an effect on commitment.But, for some, the perception of fairness in the decision-making process might be even more important. This suggests that organizations should communicate clearly how their decisions were made and why those who did not trace were not suitable.Work-Life BalanceA key issue emphasized by research, especially in recent years, is the extent to which employees perceive they are able to achieve the right balance between home and work. Organizations are beginning to recognize this, and are making more concer ted efforts to introduce a host of programmes intended to ease employees burdens. These include initiative such as flexible work arrangements child care time off policies elderly care healthcare information and counseling and convenience services to name but a few.Job SatisfactionHow happy an employee is in a job has profound effects on behaviour and commitment. In relation to commitment, job satisfaction and work-life satisfaction are very important. Job satisfaction is an enormous area however, to be concise a satisfying job typically has three propertiesi.It has as such enjoyable features Mathieu Zajac (1990) found that the strongest correlation with commitment were obtained for job characteristics, particularly job scope (enrichment).ii.It provides an opportunity for return and development.iii.It makes employees feel effective in their roles (that they can positivelyinfluence organizational outcomes).Pay and RewardAs mentioned previously, employees may remain with an organizat ion because there are constraints against leaving and incentives for staying. It is important for organizations to structure the economics of the relationship in a way that will not obstruct commitment. One of the reasons to stay in a relationship is because it makes sense economically. Pay makes continuation of the employment relationship worthwhile because there is mutual dependence. mental CONTRACTSchein cited by (Armstrong 2005) defines commitment as attachment and loyaltyPsychological contract is the degree people are committed to the organization(Schein 1965). It depends on1.The degree to which their own expectations of what the organization willprovide tothem and what they owe the organization in return matches what theorganization expectations are of what it will give and get in returnThe nature of what is actually to be exchanged e.g. money in exchange for time at work , social need satisfaction and security in exchange for hard work and loyaltyArmstrong (2004) defines psyc hological contract as a system of beliefs which encompasses on one hand the actions employees belief are expect of them and what response they expect in return from their employer and on the other hand the behavior employers expect from their employees. It is tacit and dynamicROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT IN DEVELOPING EMPLOYEECOMMITMENT, (ARMSTRONG) 20051.During recruitment interviews present the unfavorable as well as the favorable aspects of a job in a realistic job preview.- This will enable the candidate have a clear and achievable expectation of the organization and thus revoke setting very high expectations that the organization is unable to meet,leading to low / decreased commitment2.In induction programmes communicate to new starters the organizations personnel policies and procedures and its core values indicating to them the standards of performance expected this enables them to remain committed in achieving the expected performance3.Issue and update employee hand boo ks and intranet entries whichreinforce the message delivered in induction programmes.4.Develop performance management process plans which spell out how continued improvement of performance can be achieved mainly by self managed learning5.Use training and management development programmes to underpinvalues that define performance expectations.6.Ensure thorough manager and team leader training that managers and team leadership understand their role in managing the employment relationship through such processes as performance management and team leadership managers should be very committed so as to pass the same message of commitment to employees.7.Encourage a maximum amount of contact between managers and teamleaders and their team members to achieve mutual understanding.8.Adopt a general policy of transparency ensuring that on all matters which affect them employees know what is happening and the impact it will make on their employment9.Develop personal procedures lotion grievance handling, discipline , promotion and redundancy. Ensure they are implemented fairly and consistently.10.Develop and communicate personnel policies covering the major areasof employment, development, reward and employee relationsDEVELOPING HR PRACTICES THAT ENHANCE COMMITMENT.According to Armstrong 2005 the following ten (10) practice contribute to increase ofemployee commitment.1.Advise in methods of communicating the values and aims of management andachievements of the organization, so that employees are more likely to identifywith it as one they are proud to work for.2.Emphasize to management that commitment is a two way process employeescannot be expected to be committed to the organization unless managementdemonstrates that it is committed to them.3.Impress on the management the need to develop a climate of trust by being average with people, treating them fairly justly and consistently, keeping its word and showing willingness to listen to the comments and suggestions made by employees4.Develop a positive psychological contract by treating people as stakeholdersrely on consensus and cooperation rather than control and irresistible impulse andprovision of opportunities for learning and career progression.5.Advise on and assist in the establishment of partnership agreements withtrade unions which emphasiz