Psychological contract at work as a work performance driver

Employee Psychological contract and motivation at work; It has always been and shall always be the desire of every employer to have a fully engaged workforce irrespective of the drivers of engagement at work. To some employers, it just happens while others work to have it by undertaking various measures for it to grow. For some employees, pay works whether it’s an increment or timely payment or consistency in pay over time yet others consider job security among others.

Whatever is done or perceived by the employer or employee, employee and employer unwritten contract get things done always at work in the best way. The obligation the employers have towards employees in consideration of their services and what employee considers to owe to his employers regardless of the terms in the employment contract is what delivers high-level work performance. This consideration called the unwritten contract varies from employee-employer at individual or group level. Because of its unwritten nature, all businesses that employ need to have it stronger at all times and yet always find it harder to achieve this objective.

Key to note is that employer and employee relationship culture, management styles or leadership styles existing in different companies are the biggest contributors to this success or failure of the psychological contract and ultimately workers engagement and performance levels. Trust, dependability, responsibility, accountability, obligation among others to either party in the unwritten contract come in and in the process strengthen or weaken this sense of the psychological contract.

All motivation drives have to be geared towards growing this contract consistently to achieve a high sense of responsibility and performance accountability. It is then that the most desired attributes about workers like self-driven, self-starters, creativity, courage, resilience, and others will be realized.

By Laban Atuzarirwe

CG Director