Affective events theory (AET) explains how emotions are central to employees' job satisfaction and job performance. Managers need to understand how workers are impacted emotionally by events at work.
Affective Events Theory
Do your emotions affect how you perform in a work environment? According to the affective events theory (AET), emotions are critically important to how employees handle workplace situations. The model states that there is a relationship between the employees' internal influences (such as emotions) and their reactions to incidents that happen during their workday that affect their performance, job commitment, and long-term job satisfaction.
The theory explains that there are both positive and negative occurrences during the workday that can affect an employee's emotions and job satisfaction. AET is about how the work environment emotionally affects workers and does not take into account any outside influences. For example, if an employee's child is sick at home that would not be part of the AET definition, since it is outside of work.
The theory was developed by organizational psychologists Weiss and Cropanzano. Positive or negative happenings can be anything from being reprimanded for poor work performance to receiving a free cup of coffee for a good performance. All parts of the job can affect emotions, including the actual job tasks, management styles, co-workers' actions, and job pressures. Positive and negative situations at work create long-term emotional responses that can impact job satisfaction, development, and commitment. In order to better understand this theory and its applications, let's take a look at one way the AET performs on the job.
AET Applications
Negative Example
Rita has spent the last twenty years working her way up the corporate ladder. She started working for the local sporting goods supplier right out of college and is currently the Director of Marketing. She has been hearing that the company is not doing very well and layoffs could occur. This is causing her stress and worry during her daily work. She has tried to stay focused, but her emotional mood is not getting any better.
Over the past weekend, she ran into a co-worker who was also laid off over six months ago. He painted a horrific image of the job market, which further panicked Rita. She tried to get reassurance from her boss about her job security, but he just seemed to give her the runaround.
Rita's quality of work is slipping, and she is preoccupied with her job security. She spends most of her time worrying and has been sick from stress multiple times in the past month. This supports the idea that managers need to understand the importance of emotions on job satisfaction and performance. It also shows how negative situations can build and create large issues at the job.
Positive Example
AET can also have results from positive happenings on the job. For example, if an employee reaches a specific goal and is given a free lunch, the result is that they are filled with positive emotions. These positive emotions can then be transferred to their work or interaction with coworkers.