The Psychological Contract
CIPD Factsheet
The psychological contract
Revised July 2011
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What is the psychological contract?
The term 'psychological contract ' was first used in the early 1960s but became more popular following the economic downturn in the early 1990s. It has been defined as '…the perceptions of the two parties, employee and employer, of what their mutual obligations are towards each other '1. These obligations will often be informal and imprecise: they may be inferred from actions or from what has happened in the past, as well as from statements made by the employer, for example during the recruitment process or in performance appraisals. Some obligations may be seen as 'promises ' and others as 'expectations '. The important thing is that they are believed by the employee to be part of the relationship with the employer.
The psychological contract can be distinguished from the legal contract of employment. The latter will, in many cases, offer only a limited and uncertain representation of the reality of the employment relationship. The employee may have contributed little to its terms beyond accepting them. The psychological contract on the other hand looks at the reality of the situation as perceived by the parties, and may be more influential than the formal contract in affecting how employees behave from day to day. It is the psychological contract that effectively tells employees what they are required to do in order to meet their side of the bargain and what they can expect from their job. It may not - indeed in general it will not - be strictly enforceable, though courts may be influenced by a view of the underlying relationship between employer and employee, for example in interpreting the common law duty to show mutual trust and confidence.
Guest1 identifies the following key points: * the extent to which employers adopt people management practices will influence the state of the
The psychological contract
Revised July 2011
-------------------------------------------------
What is the psychological contract?
The term 'psychological contract ' was first used in the early 1960s but became more popular following the economic downturn in the early 1990s. It has been defined as '…the perceptions of the two parties, employee and employer, of what their mutual obligations are towards each other '1. These obligations will often be informal and imprecise: they may be inferred from actions or from what has happened in the past, as well as from statements made by the employer, for example during the recruitment process or in performance appraisals. Some obligations may be seen as 'promises ' and others as 'expectations '. The important thing is that they are believed by the employee to be part of the relationship with the employer.
The psychological contract can be distinguished from the legal contract of employment. The latter will, in many cases, offer only a limited and uncertain representation of the reality of the employment relationship. The employee may have contributed little to its terms beyond accepting them. The psychological contract on the other hand looks at the reality of the situation as perceived by the parties, and may be more influential than the formal contract in affecting how employees behave from day to day. It is the psychological contract that effectively tells employees what they are required to do in order to meet their side of the bargain and what they can expect from their job. It may not - indeed in general it will not - be strictly enforceable, though courts may be influenced by a view of the underlying relationship between employer and employee, for example in interpreting the common law duty to show mutual trust and confidence.
Guest1 identifies the following key points: * the extent to which employers adopt people management practices will influence the state of the
References: 1. GUEST, D.E. and CONWAY, N. (2002) Pressure at work and the psychological contract. London: CIPD. Further reading Books and reports CONWAY, N. and BRINER, R. (2005) Understanding psychological contracts at work: a critical evaluation of theory and research. Oxford: Oxford University Press. TRUSS, C., SOANE, E. and EDWARDS, C. (2006) Working life: employee attitudes and engagement 2006. Research report. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Managing the psychological contract: using the personal deal to increase business performance. Aldershot: Gower. Journal articles COYLE-SHAPIRO, J. and SHORE, L.M. (2007) The employee-organization relationship: where do we go from here? Human Resource Management Review. Vol 17, No 2, June. pp166-179. CULLINANE, N. and DUNDON, T. (2006) The psychological contract: a critical review. International Journal of Management Reviews. Vol 8, No 2, June. pp113-129.