Work Attitude and Behaviour

Each one of us has our own belief or attitude towards the food we eat, the place we live, the clothes we wear, etc. Similarly, work attitude refers to how an individual feels about his work and shows his commitment towards it.

Attitudes are a way of thinking, and they shape how we relate to the world, both at work and outside of work. An attitude denotes our opinions, beliefs, and feelings about various aspects of our environment.

Positive Work Attitude

Positive work attitude is extremely important because it fosters productive thinking and leads to productive working. A positive person is more approachable and easily builds constructive relationships, which are essential in building cohesive teams.

The two job attitudes that have the greatest potential to influence how an individual behaves at work are − Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment.

People consider and evaluate their work environment based on several factors like the nature of the job, the rapport and relationship they share with their superiors and peers, how they are treated in the organization and the level of stress the job involves. Work attitudes that have the greatest potential to influence how an employee behaves are job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Job Satisfaction

The feelings people have toward their job. It is probably the most important job attitude and denotes how satisfied an employee is at his work. A person with high job satisfaction appears to hold generally positive attitude, and one who is dissatisfied holds negative attitude towards their job.

Organizational Commitment

Organizational commitment is the emotional or psychological attachment people have toward the company they work for. A highly committed employee identifies completely with the organizations’ objectives and is willing to put in whatever effort it takes to meet them. Such an employee will be willing to remain with the organization and grow with it.

Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Employees tend to associate satisfaction and commitment in jobs with certain characteristics.

Nature of Job − Employees are satisfied and committed when they feel that their job provides the ability to use their inherent skills, having autonomy at work, performing a seemingly significant task, having healthy feedback mechanism, etc. Employees also tend to be more satisfied when their jobs help them build new skills and improve themselves.

Job Fitment − It is the degree to which an employee’s personal beliefs, values and goals are in synergy with those of the organization. An employee who sees a healthy synergy will remain satisfied and committed.

Organizational Justice − Every individual likes to be treated fairly in all situations. This also applies to the workplace and plays a big role in creating and sustaining satisfaction and commitment levels. How fair the company policies are, how fairly the management and superiors treat the employees and how fair is the compensation an employee receives in return for his contribution, are some factors.

Work Relationships − Another major influencer of an employee’s satisfaction and commitment is the relationship with juniors, peers and managers. Relationship refers to the way they are treated, whether they are socially accepted in the work group, how considerate is the manager, how fair he is towards the employees, etc.

Psychological Association − An employee who is emotionally attached with the organization will be satisfied and willing to commit himself to achieving the organizational objectives. It is the unspoken informal bond that silently plays a major positive influence.