Temporary Agency Workers are Committed Despite Simple Tasks and Low-Status Work

Temporary agency work is an ongoing trend that has been growing largely in the recent years. It is defined by a triangular relationship between temporary agency workers (TAWs), temporary agency, and clients. Furthermore, it is associated with low status and low-skilled job tasks. Despite its growing role in the labor market, little is known about the TAWs’ organizational commitment to their temporary agency. To gain a deeper understanding a qualitative research, with interviews and observations as the main data collection methods, is conducted. The main finding of this research is that the TAWs are committed despite simple tasks and low-status work. The organizational commitment of the TAWs has several expressions, which will be presented and analyzed. Additionally, commitment-enhancing efforts of the case organization, such as the creation of a sense of belonging and the offer of personal development practices for the employees, were identified. Due to the findings, this research provides insights about temporary agency work and TAWs in specific. Hence, it contributes to the temporary agency work literature by showing that TAWs are highly committed and thereby providing a deeper understanding about how the triangular relationship influences the TAWs’ organizational commitment to the temporary agency