Effects of temporary job contracts on the well-being of individuals and organizations.

Uncertainty, mobility, and opportunity are some of the concepts used to describe work in today’s society. Greater economic energy and flexibility have certainly created conditions that enable organizations to be more competitive, but these changes have also given rise to greater uncertainty, instability, and risk for workers, with a subsequent increase in their levels of stress and anxiety. This study aims to investigate the effects of temporary job contracts on the well-being of individuals and organizations, on the basis of an empirical survey on a sample of 106 Italian workers in the tertiary sector. Results show that the type of contract, as well as the possibility of choosing, have effects on personal and organizational variables, such as climate, conflict, perceived organizational support (POS), commitment, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), strain, burnout, and turnover intention. Results are also reported for gender and some organizational well-being/malaise dimensions. Such findings may be useful in developing some management guidelines to foster the sustainability of different forms of employment.