Permanent and seasonal employees: An investigation of differences in perceived organizational support, job engagement, and dedication to service quality

Public sector organizations are now aspiring to establish a high level of customer service performance utilizing a "blended" workforce of both standard and nonstandard workers. The intention is to provide a more responsive, effective, and efficient government. Previous research has demonstrated that employees' attitudes toward their job and perceptions of organizational treatment impact their motivation and dedication to achieve desired organizational goals. This previous research, however, has not differentiated between permanent and seasonal employees. This study focuses on the differences in attitudes towards job conditions, perceptions of organizational support, motivation to engage in jobs, and dedication to quality service between permanent and seasonal workers in the public sector.;Archival survey data was obtained from a public agency located in the Midwest region of the United States. Results showed that there was no significant difference between seasonal and permanent workers on how favorably they assessed their job conditions, perceived organizational support, and how engaged they were in their jobs. Additionally, employment type was found neither to moderate the relationship between perceived organizational support and job engagement nor the relationship between perceived organizational support and dedication to customer service. Finally, it was found that, for both seasonal and permanent employees, job engagement completely mediated the relationship between perceived organizational support and dedication to customer service.;These results indicate that the previous research findings suggesting that the relationship between perceptions of organizational support and organizationally desired employee outcomes is mediated by job engagement apply for both permanent and seasonal workers. However, important questions remain regarding whether these results indicate that no difference exists between seasonal and permanent workers or, perhaps, that seasonal workers hold lower expectations regarding the exchange relationship between the employee and the organization. Implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.