Permanent employee investment and social exchange and psychological cooperative climate among temporary employees

Abstract

This study investigated the mediating role of the psychological climate for cooperation in the client organization on the relationship between temporary employees’ perceived investment in permanent employee development in the client organization, and exchange perceptions and exchange outcomes, among 2022 temporary employees. After controlling for perceived investment in the temporary employees themselves, the results suggest that the psychological climate for cooperation in the client organization partly mediated the relationship between temporary employees’ perceived investment in permanent employee development and social exchange perception, and fully mediated the relationship between temporary employees’ perceived investment in permanent employee development and economic exchange perception. Moreover, social exchange perception was positively related to work quality, work effort and organizational citizenship behaviour, whereas economic exchange perception was negatively related to work effort and organizational citizenship behaviour.