Affective Events Theory - Mitigating Negative Affect Experienced From Work-related Events

Mitigating Negative Affect Experienced From Work-related Events

The intensity of negative affect experienced at work often leads to work withdrawal, absenteeism, vandalism, and early exit. Organizations continually seek to select, train, and retain employees through incentives, compensation, benefits, and advancement. Such mechanisms influence the organizational commitment demonstrated by employees. Organizational commitment suggests that employees self-identify with their employers; the more individuals identify with their employing organizations, the more likely they are to support the organization and act in its best interest. Of the three components of organizational commitment (i.e., affective, continuance, and normative), affective organizational commitment is correlated with experiencing more positive affect at work. This organizational commitment style has a greater impact on affect than individual personality factors and traits.

This finding supports organizational psychological findings indicating that employee identification with the organization is based upon their affective commitment. In fact, there is a strong correlation between positive emotions and affective commitment than between positive emotions and job satisfaction. The decision to continue working for an organization, however, does not seem to be dependent upon negative affect. Other factors, such as debt, pension implications, and future job prospects outside of the organization, must also be considered. Negative affect experienced thorugh events at work may be related to changes in work performance, such as work withdrawal and absenteeism, as well as job satisfaction, but it does not seem to be the deciding factor on whether or not an employee will leave the organization.