Human Resources Management of Temporary Agency Workers
Keywords:
Social exchange theory, Temporary workers, Human resource management, Psychological contract, Affective commitment, Well-being at workAbstract
This study analyzed the extent to which the Social Exchange Theory can be used to explain the answers of
temporary agency workers’ (TAW). We applied a questionnaire to a sample of 953 TAW and used Structural Equation Models
(SEM) to analyze the results. We verified that the system of human resource management related positively with workers’
affective commitment (β = 0,58; p < 0,01) and engagement (β = 0,24; p < 0,01), explained 40% e 30% of these variables
respectively. The psychological contract fulfillment partially mediated the relationship between this system and TAW’ positive
answers. One important implication of this study is that it confirms that investment with TAW has a return, i.e. positive workers
outcome, which is important to organizational efficacy.
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References
Aggarwal, U., & Bhargava, S. (2009). Reviewing the relationship
between human resource practices and psychological contract
and their impact on employee attitude and behaviour. Journal
of European Industrial Training, 33, 4-31.
Aronsson, G., Gustafsson, K., & Dallner, M. (2002). Work
environment and health in different types of temporary jobs.
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,
11, 151-175.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator
variable distinction in social psychological research:
Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 1173-1182.
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York:
John Wiley & Sons.
Castanheira, F., & Chambel, M. J. (2010). Reducing burnout in call
centers through HR practices. Human Resource Management,
49, 1047-1065.
Chambel, M. J., & Alcover, C. M. (2011). Psychological contract
of call-center workers: Working conditions, satisfaction and
civic virtue behaviors. Economic and Industrial Democracy,
32(1), 115-134.
Chambel, M. J., & Castanheira, F. (2007). They don’t want to be
temporaries: Similarities between temps and core workers.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 943- 959.
Chambel, M. J., & Castanheira, F. (2012). Training of temporary
workers and the social exchange process. Journal of
Managerial Psychology, 27, 191-209.
Chambel, M. J., & Oliveira-Cruz, F. (2010). Breach of psychological
contract and the development of burnout and engagement: A
longitudinal study among soldiers on a peacekeeping mission.
Military Psychology, 22, 110-127.
CIETT (International Confederation of Private Employment
Agencies). (2011). The agency work industry around the world.
Brussels: CIETT.
Commission of European Communities. (2002). Proposal for a
directive of the European Parliament and the Council on
working conditions for temporary workers (COM (2002) 149
v.20.3.2002). Brussels.
Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., & Conway, N. (2005). Exchange
relationships: An examination of psychological contracts
and perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 90, 774-781.
Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., & Kessler, I. (2000). Consequences of the
psychological contract for the employment relationship: A large
scale survey. Journal of Management Studies, 37, 903-930.
Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., & Kessler, I. (2002). Contingent and
non-contingent working in local government: Contrasting
psychological contracts. Public Administration, 80, 77-101.
De Cuyper, N., & De Witte, H. (2008). Volition and reasons for
accepting temporary employment: Associations with attitudes,
well-being and behavioural intentions. European Journal of
Work and Organizational Psychology, 17, 363”“387.
De Cuyper, N., De Jong, J., De Witte, H., Isaksson, K., Rigotti, T,
& Schalk, R. (2008). Literature review of theory and research
on psychological impact of temporary employment: Towards
a conceptual model. International Journal of Management
Reviews, 10, 25-51.
Dulac, T., Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., Henderson, D., & Wayne, S.
(2008). Not all responses to breach are the same: A longitudinal
study examining the interconnection of social exchange and
psychological contract processes in organizations. Academy
of Management Journal, 51, 1079-1098.
Feldman, D. C., Doerpinghaus, H. I., & Turnley W. H. (1994).
Managing temporary workers: A permanent HRM challenge.
Organizational Dynamics, 23, 49-63.
Finegold, D., Levenson, A., & Van Buren, M. (2005). Access to
training and its impact on temporary workers. Human Resource
Management Journal, 15, 66-85.
Gakovic, A., & Tetrick, L. E. (2003). Psychological contract breach
as a source of strain for employees. Journal of Business and
Psychology, 18, 235-246.
Gianasi, L. B. S., & Borges, L. O. (2009). Síndrome de Burnout no
Setor de Transporte de Natal. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa,
25(3), 297-305.
Halbesleben, J. R. B. (2010). A meta-analysis of work engagement:
Relationships with burnout, demands, resources, and
consequences. In A. B. Bakker & M. P. Leiter (Eds.), Work
engagement. A handbook of essential theory and research (pp.
102-117). New York: Psychology Press.
James, L. R., Mulaik, S. A., & Brett, J. M. (2006). A tale of two
methods. Organizational Research Methods, 9(2), 233-244.
Kinnie, N., Hutchinson, S., Purcell, J., Rayton, B., & Swart, J.
(2005). Satisfaction with HR practices and commitment to the
organisation: Why one size does not fit all. Human Resource
Management Journal, 15, 9-29.
Koene, B., & Van Riemsdijk, M. (2005). Managing temporary
workers: Work identity, diversity and operational HR choices.
Human Resource Management Journal, 15, 76-92.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping.
New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout.
Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397-422.
McLean Parks, J., Kidder, D. L., & Gallagher, D. G. (1998).
Fitting square pegs into round holes: Mapping the domain of
contingent work arrangements onto the psychological contract.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 697-730.
Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the workplace:
Theory, research and application. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications.
Meyer, J. P., Allen, N. J., & Smith, C. (1993). Commitment to
organizations and occupations: Extension and test of a threecomponent
conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology,
78, 538-551.
Mitlacher, L.W. (2008). Job quality and temporary agency work:
Challenges for human resource management in triangular
employment relations in Germany. International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 19, 446-460.
Parzefall, M-R., & Hakanen, J. (2010). Psychological contract and
its motivational and health-enhancing properties. Journal of
Managerial Psychology, 25, 4-21.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J-Y., & Podsakoff, N.
P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A
critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879”“903.
Riketta, M. (2002). Attitudinal organizational commitment and
job performance: A meta- analysis. Journal of Organizational
Behavior, 23, 257-266.
Riketta, M. (2008). The causal relation between job attitudes and
performance: A meta-analysis of panel studies. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 93, 472-481.
Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations:
Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand
Oaks: Sage Publications.
Rousseau, D. M. (2000). Psychological contract inventory technical
report. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University.
Rousseau, D. M. (2001). Schema, promise and mutuality: The
building blocks of psychological contract. Journal of
Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 511-541.
Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). The balance of give and take: Toward a
social exchange model of burnout. Revue Internationale de
Psychologie Sociale, 19, 87”“131.
Schaufeli, W.B., & Salanova, M. (2007). Work engagement: An
emerging psychological concept and its implications for
organizations. In S.W. Gilliland, D. D. Steiner, & D.P. Skarlicki
(Eds.), Research in Social Issues in Management: Vol. 5.
Managing Social and Ethical Issues in Organizations (pp.
135-177). Greenwich: Information Age Publishers.
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., Gonzalez-Roma, V., & Bakker,
A. (2002). The measurement of burnout and engagement: A
confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness
Studies, 3, 71”“92.
Shore, L. M., Tetrick, L. E., Lynch, P., & Barksdale, K. (2006).
Social and economic exchange: Construct development and
validation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 837-867.
Slattery, J. P., Selvarajan, T. T., & Anderson, J. E. (2006).
Influences of new employee development practices on
temporary employee work-related attitudes. Human Resource
Development Quarterly, 17, 279-303.
Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect
effects in structural equation models. In S. Leinhardt (Ed.),
Sociological Methodology (pp. 290-312). Washington DC:
American Sociological Association.
Suazo, M. M., Martínez, P. G., & Sandoval, R. (2009). Creating
psychological and legal contracts through human resource
practices: A signaling theory perspective. Human Resource
Management Review, 19, 154-166.
Takeuchi, R., Wang, H., Lepak, D. P., & Takeuchi, K. (2007). An
empirical examination of the mechanisms mediating between
high-performance work systems and the performance of
Japanese organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92,
1069-1083.
Taris, T. W. (2006). Is there a relationship between burnout and
objective performance? A critical review of 16 studies. Work
& Stress, 20, 316-334.
Torka, N., & Schyns, B. (2010). On equal job and co-worker
commitment of agency workers and permanent employees:
The role of HR practices. International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 21, 1307-1322.
Virtanen, M., Kivimaki, M., Virtanen, P., Elovainio, M., & Vahtera,
J. (2003). Disparity in occupational trainning and career
plannimg between contingent and permanent employees.
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,
12, 19-36.
between human resource practices and psychological contract
and their impact on employee attitude and behaviour. Journal
of European Industrial Training, 33, 4-31.
Aronsson, G., Gustafsson, K., & Dallner, M. (2002). Work
environment and health in different types of temporary jobs.
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,
11, 151-175.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator
variable distinction in social psychological research:
Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 1173-1182.
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York:
John Wiley & Sons.
Castanheira, F., & Chambel, M. J. (2010). Reducing burnout in call
centers through HR practices. Human Resource Management,
49, 1047-1065.
Chambel, M. J., & Alcover, C. M. (2011). Psychological contract
of call-center workers: Working conditions, satisfaction and
civic virtue behaviors. Economic and Industrial Democracy,
32(1), 115-134.
Chambel, M. J., & Castanheira, F. (2007). They don’t want to be
temporaries: Similarities between temps and core workers.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 943- 959.
Chambel, M. J., & Castanheira, F. (2012). Training of temporary
workers and the social exchange process. Journal of
Managerial Psychology, 27, 191-209.
Chambel, M. J., & Oliveira-Cruz, F. (2010). Breach of psychological
contract and the development of burnout and engagement: A
longitudinal study among soldiers on a peacekeeping mission.
Military Psychology, 22, 110-127.
CIETT (International Confederation of Private Employment
Agencies). (2011). The agency work industry around the world.
Brussels: CIETT.
Commission of European Communities. (2002). Proposal for a
directive of the European Parliament and the Council on
working conditions for temporary workers (COM (2002) 149
v.20.3.2002). Brussels.
Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., & Conway, N. (2005). Exchange
relationships: An examination of psychological contracts
and perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 90, 774-781.
Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., & Kessler, I. (2000). Consequences of the
psychological contract for the employment relationship: A large
scale survey. Journal of Management Studies, 37, 903-930.
Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., & Kessler, I. (2002). Contingent and
non-contingent working in local government: Contrasting
psychological contracts. Public Administration, 80, 77-101.
De Cuyper, N., & De Witte, H. (2008). Volition and reasons for
accepting temporary employment: Associations with attitudes,
well-being and behavioural intentions. European Journal of
Work and Organizational Psychology, 17, 363”“387.
De Cuyper, N., De Jong, J., De Witte, H., Isaksson, K., Rigotti, T,
& Schalk, R. (2008). Literature review of theory and research
on psychological impact of temporary employment: Towards
a conceptual model. International Journal of Management
Reviews, 10, 25-51.
Dulac, T., Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., Henderson, D., & Wayne, S.
(2008). Not all responses to breach are the same: A longitudinal
study examining the interconnection of social exchange and
psychological contract processes in organizations. Academy
of Management Journal, 51, 1079-1098.
Feldman, D. C., Doerpinghaus, H. I., & Turnley W. H. (1994).
Managing temporary workers: A permanent HRM challenge.
Organizational Dynamics, 23, 49-63.
Finegold, D., Levenson, A., & Van Buren, M. (2005). Access to
training and its impact on temporary workers. Human Resource
Management Journal, 15, 66-85.
Gakovic, A., & Tetrick, L. E. (2003). Psychological contract breach
as a source of strain for employees. Journal of Business and
Psychology, 18, 235-246.
Gianasi, L. B. S., & Borges, L. O. (2009). Síndrome de Burnout no
Setor de Transporte de Natal. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa,
25(3), 297-305.
Halbesleben, J. R. B. (2010). A meta-analysis of work engagement:
Relationships with burnout, demands, resources, and
consequences. In A. B. Bakker & M. P. Leiter (Eds.), Work
engagement. A handbook of essential theory and research (pp.
102-117). New York: Psychology Press.
James, L. R., Mulaik, S. A., & Brett, J. M. (2006). A tale of two
methods. Organizational Research Methods, 9(2), 233-244.
Kinnie, N., Hutchinson, S., Purcell, J., Rayton, B., & Swart, J.
(2005). Satisfaction with HR practices and commitment to the
organisation: Why one size does not fit all. Human Resource
Management Journal, 15, 9-29.
Koene, B., & Van Riemsdijk, M. (2005). Managing temporary
workers: Work identity, diversity and operational HR choices.
Human Resource Management Journal, 15, 76-92.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping.
New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout.
Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397-422.
McLean Parks, J., Kidder, D. L., & Gallagher, D. G. (1998).
Fitting square pegs into round holes: Mapping the domain of
contingent work arrangements onto the psychological contract.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 697-730.
Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the workplace:
Theory, research and application. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications.
Meyer, J. P., Allen, N. J., & Smith, C. (1993). Commitment to
organizations and occupations: Extension and test of a threecomponent
conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology,
78, 538-551.
Mitlacher, L.W. (2008). Job quality and temporary agency work:
Challenges for human resource management in triangular
employment relations in Germany. International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 19, 446-460.
Parzefall, M-R., & Hakanen, J. (2010). Psychological contract and
its motivational and health-enhancing properties. Journal of
Managerial Psychology, 25, 4-21.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J-Y., & Podsakoff, N.
P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A
critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879”“903.
Riketta, M. (2002). Attitudinal organizational commitment and
job performance: A meta- analysis. Journal of Organizational
Behavior, 23, 257-266.
Riketta, M. (2008). The causal relation between job attitudes and
performance: A meta-analysis of panel studies. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 93, 472-481.
Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations:
Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand
Oaks: Sage Publications.
Rousseau, D. M. (2000). Psychological contract inventory technical
report. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University.
Rousseau, D. M. (2001). Schema, promise and mutuality: The
building blocks of psychological contract. Journal of
Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 511-541.
Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). The balance of give and take: Toward a
social exchange model of burnout. Revue Internationale de
Psychologie Sociale, 19, 87”“131.
Schaufeli, W.B., & Salanova, M. (2007). Work engagement: An
emerging psychological concept and its implications for
organizations. In S.W. Gilliland, D. D. Steiner, & D.P. Skarlicki
(Eds.), Research in Social Issues in Management: Vol. 5.
Managing Social and Ethical Issues in Organizations (pp.
135-177). Greenwich: Information Age Publishers.
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., Gonzalez-Roma, V., & Bakker,
A. (2002). The measurement of burnout and engagement: A
confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness
Studies, 3, 71”“92.
Shore, L. M., Tetrick, L. E., Lynch, P., & Barksdale, K. (2006).
Social and economic exchange: Construct development and
validation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 837-867.
Slattery, J. P., Selvarajan, T. T., & Anderson, J. E. (2006).
Influences of new employee development practices on
temporary employee work-related attitudes. Human Resource
Development Quarterly, 17, 279-303.
Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect
effects in structural equation models. In S. Leinhardt (Ed.),
Sociological Methodology (pp. 290-312). Washington DC:
American Sociological Association.
Suazo, M. M., Martínez, P. G., & Sandoval, R. (2009). Creating
psychological and legal contracts through human resource
practices: A signaling theory perspective. Human Resource
Management Review, 19, 154-166.
Takeuchi, R., Wang, H., Lepak, D. P., & Takeuchi, K. (2007). An
empirical examination of the mechanisms mediating between
high-performance work systems and the performance of
Japanese organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92,
1069-1083.
Taris, T. W. (2006). Is there a relationship between burnout and
objective performance? A critical review of 16 studies. Work
& Stress, 20, 316-334.
Torka, N., & Schyns, B. (2010). On equal job and co-worker
commitment of agency workers and permanent employees:
The role of HR practices. International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 21, 1307-1322.
Virtanen, M., Kivimaki, M., Virtanen, P., Elovainio, M., & Vahtera,
J. (2003). Disparity in occupational trainning and career
plannimg between contingent and permanent employees.
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,
12, 19-36.
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Published
2015-11-16
How to Cite
Chambel, M. J. (2015). Human Resources Management of Temporary Agency Workers. Psicologia: Teoria E Pesquisa, 31(2), 269–278. Retrieved from https://www.periodicos.unb.br/index.php/revistaptp/article/view/18115
Issue
Section
Estudos Empíricos
