Conceptualized an original research proposal on the effect of rewards (e.g., a future position, tuition assistance, connections) not explicitly communicated by employers on the motivation and performance of student interns who nonetheless anticipate these advantages. Researched and synthesized relevant literature. Developed a Google Forms survey targeting Applied Psychology majors, for whom 12 credits of internship are a degree requirement. Collected, prepared, and analyzed data using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Summarized the study results in an APA-style manuscript.

1. Running head: UNSPOKEN PROMISES 1
Unspoken Promises
Samantha Lutz
The Pennsylvania State University-Berks
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
12/17/13

2. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 2
Motivation, to me, is the reason or reasons driving someone to act or behave in a
certain way. This idea of motivation can reside with a student wanting to receive good
grades, a professor wanting to watch their student grow intellectually. It could also be to
raise money for a charity because you’re passionate about it. Motivation is also found in
the workplace in employees who are trying to reach the goal of accomplishing their work.
There is the question, is it only found in people who want to get their work done or can it
be found in another aspect of a work environment? What about the interns or new
employees of a work place, why do they work so hard? If they are being paid it’s
probably not enough; why are they so motivated to give their time, effort and hard work
to that company? There may be an underlying issue that no one is looking at, such as the
effect of unspoken rewards and the outcome they have on those who work at the
company. Throughout this paper I will be speaking about what an unspoken promise is
and where it comes from. I will then be looking at how Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, job
commitments and goals play a role in unspoken promises. Lastly, I will be analyzing the
entire idea of unspoken promises to produce specific outcomes of this idea.
Unspoken promises have been influencing me since I have started my college
career. I have always expected to obtain a job at one of my past internships upon
graduation with hopes that they will even pay for me to go to graduate school. The thing
is, no one ever told me this was a guaranteed thing, I just assumed it will happen, and I
have planned my future around this unsure ideal. I began to question both myself and
other students who were in the same boat. Why are we so settled on this idea of an
unspoken promise from the places we give our internship hours to? An unspoken

3. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 3
promise is the concept that an employee/intern believes they will be granted something
(job/raise/further education) if they work hard enough for it in their current position,
even though it is not directly in their contract or promised to them. For instance, there are
students who will go above and beyond what their contract says they’re supposed to do;
all the while, they are not even being paid. It just makes one wonder, why? This student,
who is probably taking 15-19 credits per semester, not being paid, as well as having other
work to do, but they still stay at that internship and do things above and beyond their
written duty. Being in their shoes, it is easy to see why they’re doing it. They’re doing it
for underlying rewards that were never promised to them, the student may not even know
they’re working so hard. This concept of unspoken promises in the workplace is almost
second nature because as children we were taught that if we work hard, good things will
come our way. There are some theories though that focuses on the idea of unspoken
promises directly by guiding us to the idea that there is some unknown force making us
more motivated than usual.
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory also plays a large role in unspoken promises. Vroom
believes that people know they should behave in a certain way to attain a certain outcome
“Vroom (1964) hypothesized that employee job performance (P) is a function of the
interaction between forces to perform (F), or motivation, and ability (A)” (Heneman &
Schwab, 1972). The more motivation that people have in the work place, the more likely
they will receive a reward for their hard work; at least this is what they think. There are
three components to the expectancy theory; expectancy, instrumentality and valence. I
believe that expectancy and instrumentality are the two main components to unspoken
promises. Expectancy, referring to an individual's expectations or likelihood of achieving

4. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 4
a desired performance level, when exerting a certain amount of effort, supports the idea
that unspoken promises can be based off of one's own beliefs about a certain scenario.
Instrumentality is the perceived relationship between the performance of a particular
behavior and the likelihood that a certain outcome will result from that behavior. So
working hard as an intern may lead to other favorable outcomes, both expressed and
implied. These could be certainties like earning a high grade in your intern class or
uncertainties like maybe even getting a job at that internship site.
The only thing I see that doesn’t work with the idea of the unspoken promises
theory is that Vroom wants an organization to state that there will be a reward. According
to the expectancy theory, employees will not exert great effort at work if they don’t know
that there is something of value waiting for them. When unspoken promises are used to
motivate, the new employees or interns are affected the most. These are the groups who,
consciously or not, expect a reward after a specific level of effort. Even if the employers
do not have anything to give in return, they may keep quiet about it in order to increase
the performance levels of their new employees. Having these “imaginary rewards” could
ultimately lead to better employee commitment to an organization, which is what every
employer wants to see.
If an employee is actually being granted rewards for their hard work and
dedication, they could begin to build a sense of organizational commitment on their own.
When interning or working at in a new environment, one usually has some sort of
motivation to stay employed with that organization for the foreseeable future. . Usually
an organization will nurture this expected initial level of commitment through
mechanisms such as logos on “souvenirs”, gift certificates, vacation giveaways, or paying

5. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 5
for furthering the employee’s education. From Vroom’s Expectancy theory, “the
organization needs to recognize that employees are not likely to exert great effort at work
if they don’t see the performance review leading to something else of value, such as a pay
raise, promotion, benefits, a better job situation, or increased responsibility and
autonomy”(Levy, 2013, p. 270). But, through the implementation of unspoken promises,
the individual is able to sustain this level of effort on their own; wanting to secure these
“perks” associated with working at their organization. The individual is motivated by
their perception of what they can receive from this company in return for their time and
effort; their commitment is almost a mix of affective and continuance commitment. They
may really enjoy working there thus creating an emotional connection to the company,
but it is because of the possibility of receiving these rewards that they feel the need to
stay and continue to nurture that bond. They don’t want to lose those chances at any
possible rewards.
Levy (2013) states the only way organizational mechanisms from commitment
will work is if they are, “…communicating to employees that the organization is
supportive of them, by treating them fairly, and by enhancing their sense of personal
importance and competence”(p.312). However, many employees don’t need to be told
that the company offers these words of encouragement. Many will automatically work
hard to attain any type of reward they can; such as a raise, promotion or tuition
allowance. For example, I worked at a gym, as a housekeeper. I went above and beyond
my job description hoping my manager would see the amount of effort and work I put in;
in hopes of attaining a raise or promotion. I was never promised anything. In fact, it
wasn’t even ever mentioned to me. But I subconsciously believed that if I worked hard I

6. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 6
would receive some type of reward. Therefore, I grew and sustained my own
commitment to that organization without the organization having to do it for me. There
are some employees who sustain their own commitment and most of them do it by setting
goals for themselves so they have something to work towards.
The goals of an employee can go great lengths in an organization. An intern or a
new employee may come into the new workplace with a list of goals they want to reach.
Considering that it is still a growing process for them, they may feel the need to become
engulfed in the workplace culture. More commonly however, are the simple desires to get
the job and to get some form of tuition reimbursement. Throughout their academic
careers, students were expected to develop achievable and realistic goals. Who is to say
that these goals are truly realistic? There is no guarantee that an internship will yield a job
offer or that such an offer would include tuition reimbursement. Students tend to hear
about one or two success stories and automatically think that is what will happen to them.
Why is it that there are still interns who go above and beyond for their employers,
knowing they likely will not be hired? The more that goal means to that individual, the
more motivated that person will be to achieve that goal. “You can increase the odds of
your success by first, defining what is important to you, establishing goals based on these
values, desires, and beliefs, and finally, tailoring your achievement expectations to match
your circumstances” ("Motivation, goal setting and success"). Because of this, interns
and new employees still hold onto that mental stereotype that tells them hard work pays
off; but what happens when they end up working so hard and never truly attaining their
“goal” they set for themselves so long ago?

7. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 7
If an intern or new employee works extremely hard to attain a specific reward
and never receives it, will their complacency continue? If a person, who goes above and
beyond what their job description lists, to attain a reward (that was implicitly offered to
them by their employer) but someone else receives it instead; will there be a decrease in
their overall satisfaction (and therefore creating a decrease in worker motivation
overall)? Or will that in fact, give the employee more motivation to work harder in hopes
of securing the next opportunity for reward? I personally feel that if an employee works
hard for a possible outcome such as an unspoken promise and has not received it, it may
possibly lead to potential down falls for that employee and for the place of work. They
may begin to take on unhealthy amounts of stress while thinking they need to work
harder; which could, unfortunately, lead to the employee burning out. If an employer
doesn’t notice their employee working so hard or takes advantage of it, it could possibly
lead to the outcome of losing job commitment, not setting goals, and completely stressing
out. It's important for an employer to be clear about what they expect from their
employee and to give a reward when they notice someone going above and beyond. Also,
the employee needs to be aware that they are raising the bar not only for other employees
but for themselves. If they just happen to give up on what their trying to receive they may
lose a lot of motivation and it could possibly cost them their job if the employer see’s
them “slacking off”.
The theory of unspoken promises has many different types of research to back it
up; such as Vroom’s Expectancy theory, the idea of workplace commitment and
employees setting goals for themselves. Even though unspoken promises has those who
support it, it also has some downfalls for both the employee and for the employer. The

8. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 8
idea of the unspoken promises theory brings about many questions and ideas that we as
interns and new employees have never thought of before. Unspoken promises can be a
business’s best friend; having all of their employees give 110% into their work because
they believe that they will receive something in return. But for these employees and
interns the idea of unspoken promises could cause a major burnout f.
As new employees and interns, it’s important to get an idea of how you’re
working and why you are working the way you are. Are you doing it for a potential
reward or are you not working enough because you don’t see that reward. If you notice
that you’re over working yourself, ask yourself “why am I doing this” and ask your
employer if they offer what you think they offer so you can give yourself a break from
stress; although good work motivation and performance can lead to instrumentality.
- Mechanics 8%
o Grammar, spelling, APA formatting (including References)
- Overall readability 16%
o Coherence, clarity, organization
- Introduction 8%
o Clear thesis and presentation of main ideas
- Body – Arguments 30%
o Logical and coherent reasoning + argumentation
 -2% (aspects of how articulates with Vroom not quite clear)
- Body – Evidence 30%
o Use of relevant and accurate evidence to support arguments
 - 5% (could have used more external support, clear theoretical concepts
in some areas)
- Conclusion 8%

9. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 9
o Concise restatement of main points
References
Heneman, H. G., & Schwab, D. P. (1972). Evaluation of research on expectancy theory
predictions of employee performance. Psychological Bulletin,78(1), 1-9.
Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/78/1/1.pdf
Levy, P. (2013). Industrial/organizational psychology: Understanding the workplace.
(4th ed., pp. 268-312). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Motivation, goal setting and success. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.uiowa.edu/~uaactr/motivation.htm

10. UNSPOKEN PROMISES 9
o Concise restatement of main points
References
Heneman, H. G., & Schwab, D. P. (1972). Evaluation of research on expectancy theory
predictions of employee performance. Psychological Bulletin,78(1), 1-9.
Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/78/1/1.pdf
Levy, P. (2013). Industrial/organizational psychology: Understanding the workplace.
(4th ed., pp. 268-312). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Motivation, goal setting and success. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.uiowa.edu/~uaactr/motivation.htm