It’s not what you promise to employees, it’s what you actually deliver that counts. Years of research suggest that the promises organisations make to employees matter in establishing and maintaining a “psychological contract” between the two parties. However, new research suggests that what an organisation promises to employees (e.g., training opportunities, benefits, compensation) doesn’t matter nearly as much as what the organisation actually delivers.
In a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Samantha Montes and co-author David Zweig, professors at the Rotman School of Management and the University of Toronto Scarborough, found that the influence of promises has little effect on employee’s emotional reactions toward the organisation, their intentions to stay with the organisation, and intentions to engage in citizenship behaviours. People care more about what they receive from their organisation, not what they were promised.
Contrary to much of the research in this area, employees still feel like the psychological contract has been “broken” even in the absence of any promises made and when they don’t get what they think they should from their organisation.
“Basically, it’s ‘show me the money’, give me developmental opportunities, and provide me with support” says Samantha Montes. “What this means is that organisations should focus more on delivering valuable benefits and opportunities to employees rather than investing time, effort, and resources into making promises that these benefits will be delivered.”
Reference
Montes, S. D. & Zweig, D. (2009). Do promises matter? An exploration of the role of promises in psychological contract breach. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 94, 1243-1260.
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