Are You Building Real Employee Commitment?

Employee commitment is probably a central goal for every executive leadership team or human resource department. But without a data-driven understanding of what impacts commitment and how your workplace stacks up you’re likely to waste time and resources on short-term “solutions” that don’t actually work. 

 

Let’s dive into what real employee commitment looks like. Then we’ll explore what drives that sense of commitment, and share some suggestions for how to make it a reality across your teams.

 

3 Types of Commitment

ScienceForWork experts point to three types (or levels) of commitment: continuance commitment, normative commitment, and affective commitment, defining them this way:

 

“Affective commitment describes an emotional or personal desire to remain with an organization. Normative commitment describes a sense of obligation to do the right thing and stay. Continuance commitment reflects a need to stay as leaving has costs associated with it. This is why people say that they stay because they want to, ought to, or have to.”

 

You might hear these commitment types articulated this way:

 

Continuance Commitment:
  • “We just bought a house, I can’t afford to leave. . .”
  • “If I lose this job, my family will lose their health insurance, too.”
  • “The last person who spoke up about this issue got laid off, so I’m keeping my mouth shut.”
Normative Commitment: 
  • “I’m the only one on my team who can do this task. I don’t want to leave my teammates hanging. They’re already stressed.”
  • “I promised my manager I’d cover this project for the next few months. Maybe we should move our trip back.”
  • “I gave my word. I’ll take care of it.”
Affective Commitment: 
  • “I haven’t missed any family milestones since starting here. I’m definitely staying for a while.”
  • “My team leader is advocating for my raise. I can’t wait to hear back from her.”
  • “My team has been getting great feedback on our project. I want to see it through and find out what results we get.”

 

Continuance commitment and normative commitment are ongoing: they’re part of what motivates us to meet our basic needs. But moving beyond that and creating a culture that drives affective commitment will allow everyone on your team to thrive, including you. 

 

Affective Commitment and Your Core Values 

Many leadership decisions can foster greater affective commitment, decreasing turnover and burnout. Generally, such decisions demonstrate your dedication in 3 areas:

 

  1. Integrity: When you act according to your core values, and the principles that drive your work culture, you build trust across your team. They feel safer asking for what they need to get the most from their job, and are able to move beyond surviving and toward thriving. 
  2. Belonging: When people stay because they want to, they identify with their team and the mission of their company. That can’t happen unless leaders are working to ensure a sense of belonging. Making sure everyone present knows their unique strengths and is crucial to improving retention and reaching long-term goals.  
  3. Investment: Investing in your people is an investment in your team’s cohesion and your organization’s success. Investing resources in their professional development, offering them incentives, and giving them one-on-one support can all be effective ways to let them know they’re valued and appreciated.

 

Influencing Affective Commitment

While it’s always good to revisit your values and check for alignment, it’s important to take practical steps to ensure you’re influencing commitment effectively, The employment experts at Indeed have found several factors influence employee commitment, including: 

 

  • Fair Compensation: It’s no surprise that employees see this as a way companies “put their money where their mouth is” when it comes to keeping their promises and practicing their values. Keeping employee compensation fair, and as competitive as possible, reduces turnover and builds the trust necessary for them to move toward affective commitment. 

 

  • Effective Communication: Poor communication leads to huge losses for companies across industries. So it’s no surprise that workplaces with strong communication have high levels of commitment across departments. When your communication is strong and your leadership effective, you’ll see results like this:

 

    • People are given (and gladly take on) more responsibilities within their role
    • Tasks are effectively delegated, and projects are completed on time
    • Team members take ownership of their projects, and create their own best practices for getting things done 
    • People feel comfortable asking for and giving feedback

 

  • Stability: When people know their job is stable and secure, they’re more likely to give the work their full attention, instead of searching for other jobs, worrying about their back-up plan, or burning out before reaching their goals. Leaders should be mindful of how to create stability when completing their strategic plans and assessing their strategies for long-term growth.

Are You Building Employee Commitment?

Commitment is the cornerstone of a successful team. Addressing communication gaps, managing conflicts constructively, and reducing turnover are crucial steps in fostering a committed workplace culture.

Ready to strengthen employee commitment within your organization?

Schedule a call with us to discover tailored strategies to build and enhance commitment in your team. We offer expert guidance, training, and support to help you improve communication, resolve conflicts effectively, and retain top talent. Together, we’ll support your people and organization to create a resilient, high-commitment work environment that drives success and growth.

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