Psychological Contract Breach and Counterproductive Behavior in Exempt and Nonexempt Employees

摘要

The purpose of this quantitative, causal comparative study was to investigate differences between exempt and nonexempt employees' levels of psychological contract breach (PCB) perception, psychological contract violation (PCV), and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). The study used social exchange theory, equity theory, the stressor-emotion model of counterproductive work behavior, and social stratification as foundational theories. A total of 210 exempt and nonexempt employees, recruited from LinkedIn and Facebook, served as the sample for the study. Participants completed an online survey comprised of demographic questions and survey items measuring PCB perception, PCV, and CWB. The researcher used dependent t-tests to detect statistically significant differences in PCB perception and PCV between exempt and nonexempt employees. The researcher used a Wilcoxon signed rank test to assess differences between the groups in CWB. The exempt and nonexempt employees did not significantly differ in their levels of PCB perception, t (104) = 1.394, p = .166, and CWB, z = 1.209, p = .226, but PCV did significantly differ between exempt (M = 1.93, SD = .945) and nonexempt employees (M = 2.370, SD = 1.108), t(104) = 2.835, p = .006. Findings from this study can inform employer practices for promoting positive and productive resolutions to PCV and managing changes to the FLSA that may reclassify jobs.