Transactional and relational aspects of psychological contracts for temporary workers

Contingent labour is an increasingly important part of the international and South African business environment. Several questions arise regarding the relationships be tween such workers and the client organisations that utilise their labour. Do contingent workers maintain transactional relationships only? Can loyalty and commitment be increased in such workers? Using the concept of the psychological contract, this ar ticle ascertains whether relationships with the client organisation vary for South African temporary workers of varying tenures. Employing a cross-sectional design, results for 174 temporary workers suggest that relationships with client organisations begin with largely transactional elements. Over time, the contract becomes significantly more re lational, especially after the worker has been with the client organisation for six months or more. This relationship is affected by contract violation and organisational support. * To whom correspondence should be addresse