Tribune. The return to work is starting and, already, it is clear that nothing will be the same as before the pandemic due to Covid-19. One observation is that the “psychological contract” is becoming the new engine of relationships at work.
It is not the announced big night of the “next world”, but a metamorphosis of the world of work is underway. The issue of teleworking is at the center of this evolution, but it would be wrong to see only that, and to consider that there are only organizational problems to be solved. It is a mistake to think that once the new schedules have been established, the face-to-face alternations adopted, the equipment made available, the return to work will be carried out smoothly.
Of course, it is important to tackle these questions very quickly, but if the answers provided by the legal aspect are necessary, they will not be sufficient for long. Why ? Because employees have changed, profoundly changed, and if one of their first expectations is indeed a better reconciliation of their private and professional life, this should not hide their true aspiration: that of working differently.
This “otherwise” is a real paradigm shift, in gestation for years, but which really hatches at this start of the school year, with this resumption of the activity that we want to last.
Popularized by Denise Rousseau
What are the manifestations? A rejection of management through control, a desire for autonomy in one’s personal organization, an expectation of professional development, a desire for self-actualization. Studies show that employees want to use what they have learned during the months of forced teleworking and that, on the strength of this learning, they feel more able to dialogue with their management.
The employment contract is no longer enough, in the sense that it cannot provide answers to these changes, which leaves many directors of human resources (HRD) or managers clueless, if they do not understand what is at stake. ‘artwork.
They must integrate that the psychological contract now prevails in the professional relationship. What is the psychological contract and what does it bring?
This concept was brought to light in the 1960s by researchers looking at the employment relationship, but it was Denise Rousseau, professor at Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania), who really defined, analyzed and popularized it. . His article ” Psychological and Implied Contracts in Organizations “ published in 1989 is a real revolution in the understanding of the employment relationship.
You have 49.76% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.