The relationship between psychological contract breach and job-related attitudes within a manufacturing plant

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and three employee attitudes, namely organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), trust in the organization, and intention to leave the job. The study was carried out in an industrial plant in the chemical sector situated in Malta, which was in the process of a takeover from a multinational. Survey data were collected from 258 employees, representing 47% of the workforce in the plant. Results indicate that PCB is negatively related to trust and positively related to the intention to leave the job. The negative relationship between PCB and trust is stronger among female employees. On the other hand, the positive relation between PCB and intention to leave the job is strongest among workers with longer tenure. PCB is only moderately related to OCB among female workers. A number of conceptual and managerial implications are highlighted.