To deny, to justify, or to apologize: Do social accounts influence stress levels in the aftermath of psychological contract breach?

Abstract

Background Workplace stress carries considerable costs for the employees’ wellbeing and for the organization’s performance. Recent studies demonstrate that perceptions of psychological contract breach are a source of stress for employees. That is, when employees notice that their employer does not fulfil certain obligations, they will perceive that certain resources are threatened or lost, which in turn translates into increased stress. In this study, we zoom in on how stress unfolds in the aftermath of breach, dependent on the organization’s reaction to the breach. More specifically, we examined the influence of different types of social accounts (i.e., denial, apology, blaming and exonerating justification) on individuals’ stress resolution process using physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (self-report) data. Method We used an experimental design in which we manipulated psychological contract breach and social account type. To test our hypotheses, we performed two sets of functional Principal Component Analyses: first to examine the effects of breach and second to examine the effects of social accounts. Results Our results indicate that breach elicits a physiological stress reaction, reflected in a short-lived increase in heart rate. However, no increase in the self-reported stress measure was found. Further, we did not find a significant effect of social accounts on the psychological and physiological recovery process. Conclusions The current research allows us to demonstrate that psychological contract breach will trigger a short-lived increase in heart rate. Further research is needed to better understand unfolding trajectories of physiological reactions to contract breach and the effect of social accounts as organizational recovery efforts.

Do individuals combine different coping strategies to manage their stress in the aftermath of psychological contract breach over time? A longitudinal study

“…First, while perceptions of PCB may trigger an immediate increase in stress levels (Achnak et al, 2018;2021), it is unlikely that stress will perpetually remain at this elevated level. Indeed, the recent Post-Violation Model (PVM; Tomprou et al, 2015) suggests that responses to PCB and violation fluctuate over time.…”

Psychological Contract Breach and Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Reviews

“…First, related to the measurement topic, current proposals of new scales are valuable, but, at the same time, some studies try to conduct experimental research. These designs would allow us to demonstrate causal relationships between psychological contract breaches and their consequences [ 20 , 64 , 65 ] as well as the impact of orientation programs in the prevention of future breaches [ 66 ]. Second, several new ways of research and application of psychological contract breaches have been recently proposed, such as its impact on customer sexual harassment [ 67 ], workplace bullying behaviors [ 68 ], and expatriates’ psychological contracts [ 69 ].…”