The decision to serve: A grounded theory inquiry into long-term employee commitments

The choice to consciously remain in a given employment position is a complex decision. Current academic literature has limitations in terms of explaining employee decision-making that leads to long-term workplace commitments. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to determine if an overarching theory of employee commitment could be discovered. The study involved determining the underlying decision basis that compelled employees to commit to long-term employment. Data were acquired from 21 face-to-face interviews of healthcare support and government civil service employees with 10 years of experience in the same organization. These data were coded and analyzed using conceptual and axial coding. Particular attention was paid to specific decision-making factors that influenced employees to make their employment commitments. The employee commitment theory was developed and posits that social, material, and familial influences compel employees to long-term employment. The findings provide human resource professionals with the factors that can help them create an environment that enhances professional commitment. Additionally, the findings can contribute positively to positive social change by identifying where human resource departments should focus their efforts in developing recruiting and retention plans to reduce the business costs involved with employee turnover.