The keys to commitment

DIRECT COMPANY and managerial support, commitment to developing individual potential, culture and values alignment as well as organisational competence are the top four drivers for engendering and maintaining employee commitment, according to new research.

A study of more than 3,500 employees found that providing them with the support they expect – effectively reciprocating their loyalty and trust – is fundamental to maintaining a committed workforce.

“Employees need to know that they have the support and trust of their employer, that their efforts are recognised and rewarded and that they have access to flexible work practices, if and when they need them,” said Des McGowan, executive director of management and research firm Corporate Alignment, which conducted the study.

“They also need to feel that should they make a mistake – as we all do periodically – that their organisation will stand by them.”

The perception of support is generally less about support from the head of an organisation but more about an employee’s relationship with their immediate manager, he added.

“With this in mind, it’s crucial that leadership training not be confined to executives but also filter down to middle managers and supervisors – effectively to anyone who has people reporting through to them.”

The study also found that employees need to know their organisation is committed to maximising their potential

“People need to be challenged and excited about their work and know that their contribution is making a meaningful difference to the organisation,” McGowan said.

“The skill of a manager is to continuously set the level of challenge slightly above the level of the skill of the employee which means they are never in their comfort zone but always in a greater performance zone.”

Another key commitment driver, according to the study, is an alignment of values between employer and employee.

“Where there is misalignment, employees become dissatisfied as they feel they are compromising their personal values relative to those of the organisation – a belief that can result in unnecessary emotional turmoil and angst,” McGowan said.

“By way of example, a loans officer from a finance company is reluctant to approve a loan, despite company policies determining that the potential client is not a credit risk. The loan officer’s personal view is that the customer is simply digging him or herself deeper into debt. What does the loan officer do?”

The study found that women felt organisational credibility came down to whether the organisation communicates using the same values internally as externally. If for example, a company portrays itself as a caring one, this needs to be replicated internally.

“It is now more important than ever that values fit become a crucial element of employing people. Hiring based on candidate competence is simply not enough. People need to fit the culture of the company – that is, they need to fit the organisation by virtue of their values and work preferences.”

He said it was crucial for an organisation’s core values and behaviours to be clearly explained at the time of engagement and reinforced at every step of the employment relationship.

The study found that perceptions of organisation competence are also closely linked to employee commitment.

“People like to be proud of where they work but given that most of us work for organisations which aren’t exactly household names, pride comes from the way the organisation is run, the way it handles change and its effectiveness at implementing projects,” McGowan said.

The study, involved more than 3,500 employees, from frontline staff through to senior management and CEOs.