Affective Events Theory (AET) is a psychological model designed to explain the connection between

emotions and feelings in the workplace and job performance, job satisfaction and behaviours. AET is
underlined by a belief that human beings are emotional and that their behaviour is guided by emotion.

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.

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