Relationship between psychological contract and job satisfaction: A case study

Psychological contract concept refers to perceptions of employees regarding their obligations to their employers/organizations and vice versa. When employees think that items of psychologicl contract are violated, this situation carries a potential of various organisational consequences through affecting their attitudes and behaviours such as job satisfaction. Therefore, psychological contract and its violation becomes one of the issues which has to be taken into consideration by human resources management in organisations. Relationships between psychological contract and job satisfaction have not been studied enough from human resources management perspective and especially in public organisations in the literature.This study researches the relationships between psychological contract concept (and its sub dimensions as transactional psychological contract and relational psychological contract) and job satisfaction concept (and its sub dimensions as intrinsic job satisfaction, extrinsic job satisfaction and general reinforcement factors). Besides, the study displays some results whether these concepts differ based on some chosen demographic factors of employees in the sample.The study is carried out in a public organisation in Ankara according to case study method. It comes up with results through analysing the answers of 431 employees to surveys with quantitative methods and analysing the interviews with 22 employees with qualitative methods.The study comes up with various detailed results. However, some comprehensive results, among many are following:?There are statistically meaningful and reverse relationships at low level between transactional psychological contract of employees; and intrinsic job satisfaction, extrinsic job satisfaction, general reinforcement factors, and total job satisfaction of employees.?There are statistically meaningful relationships at medium level between relational psychological contract of employees; and intrinsic job satisfaction, extrinsic job satisfaction, and total job satisfaction of employees. There is statistically meaningful relationship at low level between relational psychological contract of employees; and general reinforcement factors of employees.?There are statistically meaningful and reverse relationships at medium level between perceived psychological contract violation of employees; and intrinsic job satisfaction, extrinsic job satisfaction, general reinforcement factors, and total job satisfaction of employees.?Levels of transactional psychological contract, relational psychological contract, and perceived psychological contract violation of employees; explain 34% of their intrinsic job satisfaction level, 41% of their extrinsic job satisfaction level, 14% of their general reinforcement factors level, and 37% of their total job satisfaction level.