Justice in contingent work: exploring psychological contract fulfillment and engagement pre- and post-COVID-19 through a social exchange lens

Purpose The temporary nature of skilled, contingent employees can entail disparities in training, rewards, work conditions and supervisory treatment. This study aims to investigate the impact of contingent employees’ psychological contract fulfillment with their employer on their engagement, the authors study the mechanisms underlying these disparities such as psychological empowerment, perceived justice and length of contract. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply a two-wave study approach comparing the temporal effects of the psychological contract fulfillment for contingent employee engagement in pre-COVID-19 (n = 214; year = 2019) and post-COVID-19 (n = 206; year = 2024) periods. Structural equation modeling examines mediation, and the Hayes PROCESS Macro assesses moderated mediation for contingent employee length of the contract. Findings Supporting social exchange and psychological contract theories, the results show the importance of appropriate treatment of contingent employees by the employer contributes to their psychological contract fulfillment. Furthermore, the COVID-19-led uncertainty regarding job and pay insecurity did not alter contingent employee expectations of appropriate treatment, as the expectation for empowerment increased postpandemic, reflecting employees’ efforts to maintain self-determination and agency amid heightened job insecurity and uncertainty. However, the crisis-led uncertainty significantly reduced the contingent employee expectations for justice attributed to the expected reconstruction of the job and benefits. The length of contract consistently contributed to the enhanced expectations of treatment in the pre-COVID-19 period, but was poorly plotted in the post-COVID-19 period. Research limitations/implications The current study offers valuable insights into gig workers’ perceptions of justice and highlights both theoretical and practical implications for managing skilled, contingent employees. Specifically, it underscores the importance of fostering fairness, transparency, and meaningful engagement to effectively integrate gig workers within organizational systems. Originality/value The findings have implications for the practitioners responsible for managing skilled, contingent employees, especially in the post-COVID-19 era. A fulfillment of expectations of appropriate treatment can ensure an engaged contingent workforce, and this expectation is stable in a changing external environment.