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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 ...
The term psychological contract refers to the often unspoken set of expectations and assumptions that two parties (employees and the organisation, its leaders and managers) have of each other about things like how they will behave and act. Examples. Psychological contract breaches. Development of the term. 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
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 ...
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.
May 6, 2020 · Psychological contracts are also important to management practitioners when a breach occurs because psychological contract rely on promises between the employer and employee so trust is an important foundation for social exchanges (Ruiter, Schalk, Schaveling & Gelder, 2017).
People also ask
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Achieving a fair balanced Psychological Contract requires that important factors are understood, and seen to be understood. The more an employer demonstrates broad awareness of the employee situation, the more likely it becomes that mutual agreement - and a healthy Psychological Contract - can be established and maintained.
