Workplace commitment after the pandemic
As part of the Randall Lewis Center series of Faculty Fellowship presentations on well-being, Dr. Issam Ghazzawi and Dr. Fengmei Gong presented their research paper, “In the Eyes of the Beholders: Workplace Commitment and Employee Well-Being in the Post Covid-19 Era.”
Using an unstructured survey of employees, managers, and executives from various organizations and industries in the US, Professors Ghazzawi and Gong examined people’s commitment to their organizations in the post-pandemic era. They found that The Covid-19 pandemic caused many people to reassess their lives and their priorities. This reevaluation extended to their careers and organizational affiliations.
Among the participants, 45.7% reported decreased commitment compared to the pre-COVID era.
What predicts higher commitment among employees?
Those reporting high commitment spoke of flexible work arrangements, positive organizational culture, the nature of the work itself, and compensation as key motivators. In contrast, individuals with lower commitment cited issues such as poor management, work overload, and stress. While the study examined correlation, not causality, it appears likely that flexible, well-paid, interesting work within a positive culture has a positive effect on employee commitment. The study found no significant correlations between commitment levels and factors such as gender, age, organizational position, industry type, or years of experience.
Why is employee commitment important?
Consequences of diminished commitment include higher intention to quit, reduced engagement, decreased productivity, and overall dissatisfaction. Conversely, higher commitment correlates with increased productivity, satisfaction, and engagement. While living through the pandemic may have caused employees to question how they should prioritize work in their lives, it appears that employers can still set conditions leading to higher employee commitment and the positive things that are associated with it.
