Understanding job commitment may lead to better correctional staff members

A researcher has theorized that commitment to the job by correctional staff members cannot be bought rather it must be earned by an organization.

A study by Eric Lambert, Ph.D., professor and chair of criminal justice in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wayne State University surveyed 450 staff members at a maximum-security correctional institution in Michigan and on the basis of this described three types of commitment and the effects of three organizational concepts on them.

High employee turnover rates contribute to that cost, which is fuelled by higher levels of substance abuse and disability retirement than other fields, he said, noting that it costs 20,000 - 40,000 dollars to hire a new worker.

Continuance commitment refers to employees' investment of themselves in an organization because of salary and benefits, as well as because of social relationships on the job or lost opportunities if an employee leaves.

Normative commitment is when an employee internalizes the standards of an organization and acts on that predisposition rather than consideration of the actions' consequences.

Affective commitment - believed to be the most desirable of the three types - occurs when an employee is loyal to an organization, identifies with it, takes pride in it and internalizes its goals.

Lambert found that correctional officers generally expressed higher levels of continuance commitment than their noncustody counterparts. Increased job stress levels and decreased job involvement were associated with higher continuance commitment. Job satisfaction did not significantly predict continuance commitment.

Correctional officers reported lower levels of normative commitment than their noncustody colleagues. All three organizational concepts were significantly related to affective commitment, Lambert found, with job satisfaction having the largest effect.

Researchers were somewhat surprised; however, that job stress didn't impact affective commitment as much as hypothesized.

Lambert said that the job satisfaction matters most for that and if you treat people right, they'll deal with negative stimuli.

He said the study can be useful to correctional organizations that choose to take note of its findings.

He added that there is more than one way to build commitment, and it's important to understand the type you're looking at and it's not just a matter of hiring the right employee.

The study has been published in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior.