Trust in supervisor, organizational commitment and attitudes towards employee development interviews

In the current cross-sectional questionnaire study we investigate whether attitudes towards employee development interviews (before their introduction) depend on quality of information about employee development interviews, perceived top management support, employees' trust in their supervisor, and affective commitment to the organization. The sample consisted of N=421 employees of a municipal authority. Quality of information about employee development interviews and perceived top management support were the most important predictors. Additionally, trust in the super-visor predicted attitude towards employee development interviews even after statistically controlling for quality of information, top management support, employees' organizational tenure, and hierarchical position. Moreover, the impact of organizational commitment on attitude towards employee development interviews depends on the role of the quality of communication between employee and the respective supervisor. For employees who are not satisfied with their supervisors' communication, organizational commitment is positively correlated with attitude towards employee development interviews. For employees who are satisfied with supervisor communication, attitude towards employee development interviews does not depend on affective commitment. Implications for introducing employee development interviews are discussed.