A scheme for determining fair level of commitment in the company/employee relationship
The diagram above allows to determine a fair level of commitment in the company/employee relationship.
It must be noted that, in practice, the expectations are often relatively one-sided (e.g. the company expects a lot from the employee, but is not willing to produce a mirroring level of commitment itself), but both sides have a tendency to overdemand commitment from the other side.
For example, the company may expect a high level of commitment from the employee (e.g. by expecting them to work long hours or to be available outside of regular working hours), but may not be willing to provide a mirroring level of commitment itself (e.g. by not offering a salary justifying the time commitment, or by not actually absorbing risks by offering short-term terminable contracts).
On the other hand, the employee may expect a high level of commitment from the company (e.g. by expecting a high salary and absolute job security), but may not be willing to provide a mirroring level of commitment itself (e.g. by not prioritizing the company over other potential employers or opportunities, or by not being willing to work overtime when needed).
How to judge commitment
On the company side, the commitment can be measured by the following factors:
- Financial commitment: The company invests money in the employee, e.g. by paying a salary, providing benefits, or funding training and development.
- Contractual commitment: The company offers a symmetrical contract that does not easily allow for termination
- Transparency: The company is transparent about its future outlook with respect to the commitment, transparently communicating any potential changes in the commitment (such as the expected future inability to), allowing the employee to make informed decisions and search for alternatives without.
On the *employee side, the commitment can be measured by the following factors:
- Time commitment: The employee dedicates a certain amount of time to the company
- Priority commitment: The employee prioritizes the company over other potential employers or opportunities, e.g. by not actively looking for other jobs or by being willing to work overtime when needed and mirrored by the company being willing to provide additional commitment
- Emotional commitment: The employee feels a sense of loyalty and attachment to the company, which can be reflected in their willingness to go above and beyond their job duties or to stay with the company during difficult times.
Non-employee relationships
While this scheme can sometimes be used to assess the level of commitment in non-employee relationships (e.g. between a company and a contractor, or between two business partners), many of the terms like salary or time commitment are not as applicable in such relationships as in the classical employee relationship.