Psychology of Leaders and Leadership, Vol 25(3-4), Aug-Nov 2022, 187-211; doi:10.1037/mgr0000131
Psychological contracts are the perceptions of promises and obligations between the employee and the organization. Regardless if an employee is full-time or hired as a part-time or contractual position, psychological contracts are still established. Employee–organization relationships and perceptions of leaders in the organization are the primary influence on psychological contracts which in turn also influence the levels of work engagement and employee performance. The nature of work is changing beyond what is known in the traditional employee context as the gig economy rises and gig workers are becoming more of the workforce. This change requires a better understanding of the gig workers’ psychological contracts with organizations as well as their work engagement. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study first measured the levels of work engagement of a sample of gig workers using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Interviews were then conducted with the sample of gig workers to evaluate how they derived work engagement. Findings from the UWES indicated high levels of work engagement, while interviews with participants indicated a breach of the psychological contract and a lack of leadership or organizational support. The findings address the need to further study the rising population of gig workers for organizational and leadership implications in establishing psychological contracts and providing organizational support for the gig worker. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)