Part‐time employment and communication satisfaction in an Australian retail organisation

Abstract

This study uses an empirical case study to examine the relationship between flexible work arrangements (whether employees work on a full‐time or part‐time basis) and one aspect of employee relations, namely communication satisfaction. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from employees in a major Australian retail organisation, resulting in 127 useable responses. The survey included the communication satisfaction questionnaire. Overall, respondents’ ratings of communication satisfaction indicated that at best they were only slightly satisfied. Part‐time employees were significantly more dissatisfied than full‐time employees on four dimensions of communication satisfaction. The study provides evidence that part‐time employees are outside mainstream communication in the stores examined. The implications of the results for employee relations are discussed. Future research directions are identified.

Citation

Gray, J. and Laidlaw, H. (2002), "Part‐time employment and communication satisfaction in an Australian retail organisation", Employee Relations, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 211-228. https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450210420929