How do I stand compared to agency workers? Justice perceptions and employees' counterproductive work behaviours

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Healthcare Management
• Workplace Behavior

Background:

• Healthcare facilities increasingly rely on agency workers.
• Limited research exists on permanent staff reactions to agency colleagues.
• Permanent employees may exhibit negative responses to the external workforce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how comparative procedural justice influences counterproductive behaviors in permanent nurses and care attendants.
• To investigate if a perceived competitive climate between permanent and agency workers moderates this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Survey questionnaires administered to employees and supervisors in three long-term care facilities.
• Moderated mediation analyses conducted on 232 employee-supervisor dyads.

Main Results:

• Comparative procedural justice indirectly reduced counterproductive behaviors through organization-based self-esteem.
• The negative association between procedural justice and counterproductive behaviors was attenuated in high-competition climates.

Conclusions:

• Prioritizing fair treatment and minimizing status differences between permanent and agency staff can prevent detrimental workplace behaviors.
• Leadership strategies should focus on neutral treatment and fostering collaboration to avoid inter-staff competition, ultimately protecting patient care.