Organizational commitment is commonly categorized into affective, continuance, and normative commitment. According toHuman Resource Management, 16th Editionby Gary Dessler,continuance commitmentrefers to an employee’s attachment to an organization based on theperceived costs associated with leaving, rather than emotional attachment or moral obligation.
Employees with continuance commitment remain because they believe leaving would result in significant economic or social losses, such as loss of salary, benefits, retirement plans, seniority, or difficulty finding comparable employment. Dessler explains that this type of commitment is calculated and cost-based; employees stay not because they want to or feel they ought to, but because they feel they have to.
Close relationships and strong identification with organizational values reflect affective commitment, while moral or ethical obligation reflects normative commitment. Since the question specifically refers to continuance commitment, the correct explanation is theperceived economic or social costs of leaving.
Source:
Gary Dessler,Human Resource Management, 16th Edition, Chapter on Employee Engagement and Organizational Commitment
