When a manager does not keep a promise: what needs clarifying?
An announced training opportunity, a possible responsibility or a potential internal move can become commitments that an employee expects to be honoured. The useful question is specific: what should employees clarify with their manager when a perceived commitment does not materialise?
What the literature establishes
Sandra Robinson and Denise Rousseau (1994, Journal of Organizational Behavior) studied perceived breaches of the psychological contract: the obligations employees believe were promised within the employment relationship. These perceptions were associated with lower trust and satisfaction, among other outcomes. The issue is therefore not simply an unfavourable decision, but the gap between what someone believed had been promised and what they consider they received.
From disappointed expectations to feeling betrayed
Elizabeth Wolfe Morrison and Sandra Robinson (1997, Academy of Management Review) propose a model distinguishing the perception of an unfulfilled commitment from the emotional response it can generate. The gap may arise from an actual failure to honour a commitment, but also from different interpretations of what was promised. This distinction separates two questions: what did each person understand, and how do they explain what happened?
The premature conclusion
One might conclude that employees simply need to document conversations more carefully. That would place excessive responsibility on them: clarification cannot replace the necessary resources or the manager's decision-making authority. Conversely, an unfulfilled promise does not, by itself, establish an intention to deceive. (our executive and employee training programmes)
What the evidence cannot guarantee
The first study examines perceptions within the employment relationship; it does not isolate a causal effect specific to promises made by an immediate manager. The second article presents a theoretical model, rather than an evaluation of a conversation method. These studies therefore support careful clarification, but do not guarantee that a documented discussion will restore trust.
A practical check in Zurich
In Zurich's financial services, insurance, tech and European headquarters of international groups, a commitment mentioned by a manager may depend on funding or approval outside the team. As part of SHR's programme on building an effective relationship with your manager, one exercise is to revisit a pending commitment and jointly record its content, conditions, approval authority and review date. Over four weeks, participants can measure the proportion of reviewed commitments for which both people have confirmed all four elements. This record checks shared understanding and traceable follow-up, not the manager's sincerity or the restoration of trust. To go further: explore the Building an Effective Relationship with Your Manager training in Zurich in the canton of Zurich, or browse our executive and employee training programmes in Switzerland.
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