Abstract
Results concerning the relationship between temporary employment and employees' attitudes, well-being and behaviour at work are inconsistent. We summarise Belgian research attempts to account for this inconsistency. These explanations concern (1) the heterogeneity of the temporary workforce; (2) the idea that contract type could moderate the stressor-strain relationship; (3) the possibility of hidden costs of temporary employment for permanent workers; and (4) transitions between temporary and permanent employment. Explanations in terms of heterogeneity added little in explaining temporary workers' responses. The other routes were promising. We discuss these studies in terms of possible implications for theory, methodology and practice.
Highlights
Interest in temporary employment was at its height in the mid 1980s, following the spectacular increase in temporary employment arrangements in most advanced societies (OECD, 2002)
What we found instead was that lower autonomy associated negatively with job satisfaction and affective organisational commitment in permanent workers but not in temporary workers
The results showed that job insecurity was not significantly related to job satisfaction and affective organisational commitment in fixed term contract workers, and it was negatively related to job satisfaction and affective organisational commitment in permanent workers and temporary agency workers
Summary
Interest in temporary employment was at its height in the mid 1980s, following the spectacular increase in temporary employment arrangements in most advanced societies (OECD, 2002). It rose to a new high in recent years; this time inspired by debates on the emergence of an era of employment flexibility (Guest, 2004; Kalleberg, 2000). A common feature in most of these writings is that temporary employment is portrayed as a cause for concern when it comes to employees’ attitudes, well-being or behaviour at work (Kunda, Barley, & Evans, 2002): Temporary employment is seen as indicator of excessive labour market divide, as overly precarious (Amuedo-Dorantes, 2000).
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