What’s Next after Psychological Contract Violation?

Abstract : This article adopts a clinical perspective based on the theoretical framework of grief in order to examine individuals’ reactions following psychological contract violation. By focusing on emotional intra-psychic phenomena, the study provides evidence of the enduring effects of psychological contract violation on individuals and the employment relationship. Sixty interviews conducted among eleven managers of a temporary employment agency experiencing major organizational changes show that psychological contract violation triggers a grief process within the individual when violation deprives that individual from achieving a highly-invested object at work. In these circumstances, individuals enter into a long grief process that deeply alters the employment relationship and modifies the amount and intensity of energy that they devote to their work.