Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and three employee attitudes, namely organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), trust in the organization, and intention to leave the job. The study was carried out in an industrial plant in the chemical sector situated in Malta, which was in the process of a takeover from a multinational. Survey data were collected from 258 employees, representing 47% of the workforce in the plant. Results indicate that PCB is negatively related to trust and positively related to the intention to leave the job. The negative relationship between PCB and trust is stronger among female employees. On the other hand, the positive relation between PCB and intention to leave the job is strongest among workers with longer tenure. PCB is only moderately related to OCB among female workers. A number of conceptual and managerial implications are highlighted.
Highlights
Work organizations rely on structured relationships between individuals who interact with each other in particular contexts to achieve the desired goals
In the first step of the data analysis, descriptive statistics are derived of the four main variables measured in this study, namely psychological contract breach (PCB), organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), trust in the organization (Trust), and intention to leave the job (Leave; see Table 2)
The second step of the data analysis examines potential differences in PCB, OCB, Trust, and Leave based on gender and tenure
Summary
Work organizations rely on structured relationships between individuals who interact with each other in particular contexts to achieve the desired goals. The working lives of employees and their relationship with management are shaped by the less obvious psychological contracts, defined as “individual beliefs in a reciprocal obligation between the individual and the organization” More than 20 years ago, Robinson (1996) highlighted the need to develop a more thorough understanding of psychological contract breach (PCB), especially in view of the apparent prevalence of the phenomenon. The current study was conducted during such turbulent times and examines the interaction of PCB with three important work-related attitudes that affect organizational wellbeing and productivity, namely organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), trust in the organization, and intention to leave the job. Data were collected through a survey distributed among all the population of employees of the abovementioned plant
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