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Psychological contract breaches have been found to predict turnover intentions, increased sickness, stress and conflict. Development of the term. The term was first introduced by Chris Argyris in 1960 and developed significantly by Denise Rousseau in 1989 in the seminal paper “Psychological and implied contracts in organizations”. References.
- The Definition
- The Pros
- The Cons
- The Impact on The Bottom Line
As editor, I have written about this form of ‘contract’ on occasion. Below is an excerpt from The Importance of the Psychological Contract. Vera Hillman, a former HR Exchange Network contributor, has also written about the concept. In her piece, The Psychological Contract: Relevance for Our Everyday Business Operations, Hillmann outlined what she c...
Having defined the psychological contract in greater detail, let us turn the focus now to the pros and cons.
Not-On-Paper
As previously mentioned, the psychological contract is not a physical contract; it’s not documented in any way. This makes it very difficult to execute. In fact, some say it is for this reason alone a PC cannot actually be defined as a contract.
Inconsistent
The psychological contract isinconsistent. Every single employee develops their own PC with the company. While these contracts may be similar across the board, they are still just as unique as each member of the company workforce.
Redundant
There are some that believe the concept of the psychological contract is redundant, even obsolete. Why? There are other ways to measure the employee-employer relationship. This includes employee engagement and pulse surveys.
Like it or not, the psychological contract is real and in force for every employee. Ignoring this fact can be a detriment to the company. Why? These contracts, while the responsibility of both parties, are not created by the employer, but the employee. Additionally, they can change those contracts on a whim and there is no notice required to the em...
- Mason Stevenson
The psychological contract is key to the relationship between employees and employers. It shapes the culture of an organization and affects how people work together. It outlines what employees expect and what employers must do. Recent studies have shown how important this contract is for employee health. A study with 3,870 employees in Germany ...
There are many ways that HR, managers, and business leaders can work together to create an effective, positive psychological contract between the employer and employee. 1. Ensure that there is open and honest communication. Creating a line of open and honest communication from the start is integral to creating an effective psychological ...
Third, as past research on psychological contract breaches and fulfillment and their outcomes has primary focused on employment relationships, currently, some proposals are trying to apply the psychological contract approach to other not work-related relationships, as the link between students and universities or doctoral supervisory relationships . These attempts of widening the application ...
Rousseau distinguishes four phases in psychological contract formation and evolution. Firstly, in the pre‐employment phase, professional norms and societal beliefs play a general role. Secondly, more specific components of psychological contracts are formed in the recruitment process.
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May 21, 2024 · A psychological contract refers to the unspoken assumptions and expectations that exist between an employer and an employee. Psychological contracts, at least in theory, facilitate a positive employer-employee relationship based on a set of mutually agreed upon ground rules, informal arrangements, or mutual beliefs. The vast majority of employees follow a set of uncodified rules in the ...
