Psychological contract and its motivational and health‐enhancing properties
Abstract
Purpose
It has been hypothesized that perceived contract fulfilment is positively associated with affective commitment, leading also to reduced turnover intentions, and with mental health, and that these relationships are fully mediated by work engagement. Employing the job demands resources (JDR) model, the purpose of this study is to examine the motivational and health‐enhancing properties driven by perceived employer psychological contact fulfilment.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses were tested in a sample of 178 Finnish employees using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The hypotheses were supported. Perceived psychological contract fulfilment had both motivational (psychological contract → work engagement → affective commitment → reduced turnover intentions) and health‐enhancing (psychological contract → work engagement → mental health) effects.
Originality/value
The findings highlight the centrality of perceived psychological contract fulfilment to employees, and the importance of work engagement as a positive affective‐cognitive state at work.
Keywords
Citation
Parzefall, M. and Hakanen, J. (2010), "Psychological contract and its motivational and health‐enhancing properties", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941011013849
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited