| Learning Objective #1: Have increased understanding of employment relationships within the nursing workforce through examining employment patterns (full-time, part-time, and casual), volition, and the nurse’s psychological contract | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Have increased understanding of how employment relationships develop and differ depending on the type of employment pattern, volition, and the nurse’s psychological contract and how this impacts on job satisfaction and withdrawal as well as career commitment and withdrawal |
Objective: The increase in part-time and casual positions in the nursing workforce has contributed to changing employment relationships within organizations. Fundamental to employment relationships is the psychological contract. Psychological contracts are defined as an individual’s belief regarding the terms and conditions of a reciprocal exchange agreement between themselves and the organization (Guest, 1998). Little is known in relation to these emerging employment relationships and psychological contract that is formulated between the nurse and the organization. The objective of this research is to gain increased understanding of employment relationships within the nursing workforce, through examining employment patterns (full-time, part-time, and casual), volition, the nurse’s psychological contract and the impact on the individual, organization and the profession.
Design: A cross sectional survey design was employed. To overcome the limitations of common method variance in a self-report survey and to cross validate the quantitative findings, semi-structured interviews were also conducted.
Population, Sample, Setting: 900 (300 from each of the 3 employement cohorts) randomly selected nurses from the College of Nurses of Ontario database were surveyed with a 73% response rate.
Concept or Variables Studied Together: The variables studied were employment patterns, volition, employment exchange relationship, psychological contract, job satisfaction and withdrawal, and career commitment and withdrawal.
Methods: Statistical analyses are underway. Descriptive statistics, ANOVAs, and structural equation modeling are being performed to identify significant relationships.
Findings: The findings examining how the employment pattern and volition of employment status impacts on the employment relationship and the types of psychological contract nurses have with their organizations will be discussed.
Conclusions/Implications Increased understanding of how employment relationships develop and differ depending on the type of employment pattern, and the nurse’s psychological contract with their organization will assist Nurse Administrators in retaining their present nursing workforce, as well as attract new nurses into organizations and the profession.
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