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The purpose of this paper is to address a gap in the recent literature on employment of temporary workers by exploring the impact of temporary workers on the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of permanent staff with particular reference to their implications for patient safety and service quality in hospital accident and emergency departments. The analysis is set in the context of the job demands-resources theory.

The research was undertaken using a case study approach with semi-structured interviews in two London hospitals. Participants included staff from the HR director level, clinical managers and permanent staff who all had an influence in the hiring and management of temporary staff in some way. Transcripts were analysed thematically using an adopted framework approach.

The results indicate that the effect of temporary staff on permanent staff depended on the quality of the “resource”. There was a “hierarchy of preference” for temporary staff based on their familiarity with the context. Those unfamiliar with the department served as a distraction to permanent staff due to the need to “manage” them in various ways. While this was rarely perceived to affect patient safety, it could have an impact on service quality by causing delays and interruptions. In line with previous research, the use of temporary staff also affected perceptions of fairness and the commitment of some permanent staff.

A model developing an approach for improved practice when managing temporary staff was developed to minimise the risks to patient safety and service quality, and improve permanent staff morale.

The review highlights the difficulties that a limited amount of temporary staff integration can have on permanent staff and patient care, indicating that consideration must be placed on how temporary staff are inducted and clarifying expectations of roles for both temporary and permanent staff.

This paper studies the under-researched impact of temporary staff, and, distinctively, staff employed on a single shift, on the behaviour and attitudes of permanent staff. It highlights the need to consider carefully the qualitative nature of “resources” in the job demands-resources theory.

The authors wanted to find out if hiring temporary staff at busy A&E departments had a negative impact on the work of permanent staff.

They did semi-structured interviews with managers and permanent staff at two London NHS hospitals with different policies for hiring temps. Hospital A prioritized the use of NHS professions for its bank and agency nurses, as well as doctors and locums. Hospital B focused more on using its own internal bank staff as temps.

The findings showed the generally negative effect of using temporary staff on permanent staff. But the reaction of permanent staff depended on the type of temporary staff. More experienced temps could generally be trusted to get on with the job, whereas the inexperienced ones required more supervision.

The authors proposed an approach to improved practice beginning with “macro-level managers” who could maintain service quality as a higher priority than contracting costs. They could also encourage permanent staff to do occasional temporary shifts. The co-authors also felt that “meso-level managers” could be given the role of hiring “preferred temps” where possible.

The purpose of the research was to assess whether hiring temporary staff at NHS hospitals had a negative impact on the quality of work of the permanent staff. The authors wanted to test the hypothesis that taking advantage of the flexibility of temps was a “false economy” because it distracted permanent staff from focusing fully on their own tasks

The authors selected two London hospitals with different approaches to temporary staff recruitment. Hospital A was a major NHS Foundation Trust and teaching hospital. It used NHS Professionals (NHSP) for the provision of bank and agency nurses, as well as doctors and locums. Meanwhile, Hospital B used its own internal bank staff as temps. Managers at both hospitals were asked to assess the work of the temps and its impact on permanent staff.

Results showed the generally negative effect of using temporary staff on permanent staff. But it depended on the nature of the temps. The more experienced temps could generally be trusted to get on with the job, whereas the inexperienced ones required more supervision. Other potential problems included the temps’ unfamiliarity with procedures that slowed down their work, and sometimes a lack of motivation as they were only there for a short time.

Based on the results, the authors proposed an approach to improved practice beginning with “macro-level managers.” They said that they may usefully be tasked with maintaining service quality as a higher priority than contracting costs, and ensuring that policies reflect the need for adequate staffing levels. They could also encourage permanent staff to do occasional temporary shifts.

The proportion of the workforce on temporary contracts of employment is increasing, as organisations use non‐permanent staff as a flexible resource. Rousseau and Wade‐Benzoni suggested such temporary staff have a different psychological contract with the organisation than their permanent counterparts. Temporary staff, it is argued, will have a transactional contract, with the emphasis upon the economic elements of the contract while permanent staff will have a more relational contract, involving commitment to the organisation, and an interest in a satisfying job. These differences, it is argued, will influence staff attitudes and behaviour. The article tests these suggestions on employees of a large holiday sector organisation. The results present a consistent picture, at variance with the above suggestions. The levels of relational and transactional contracts of permanent and temporary staff did not differ significantly. In addition they had higher, rather than lower, levels of job satisfaction and commitment to the organisation.

Agency work represents a unique form of employment that has received increased attention in recent years. Supporters of the agency employment industry have cited increased accessibility and flexibility at an individual and organisational level, yet critics have highlighted disparities in treatment and the limited protection afforded by the contract. Previous psychological studies into the working experiences of these employees have forwarded a series of findings that have frequently conflicted, so this paper begins by exploring research into the areas of motive, job satisfaction, job security, and organisational support. The purpose of this paper is to better understand how this form of employment can psychologically affect agency workers by focusing upon these key areas.

The study's research design incorporated 25 semi-structured interviews with agency workers, recruitment consultants, and representatives from third-party employers. These interviews were then supplemented by longitudinal data from follow-up interviews conducted with agency workers from the initial sample. During the study, the researcher undertook a number of agency working assignments, and ethnographic analysis of diary extracts represented a third source of data.

Results highlighted the importance of motive, as it was found to influence how agency workers viewed their employment. The lack of obligation in temporary contracts was perceived to lead to isolation from permanent colleagues, increase vulnerability, and reduce job security and organisational commitment.

Findings strongly supported the claim that the pre-assignment motives of individuals had a significant impact upon their resulting experiences. Agency workers employed in longer-term assignments reported greater integration into the organisation, resulting in increased commitment towards the third-party employer, and improved relationships with permanent staff.

The current research incorporated multiple perspectives to create an increased understanding of the agency employment industry and its impact upon individuals.

The subject of part‐time work is one which has become increasingly important in industrialised economies where it accounts for a substantial and growing proportion of total employment. It is estimated that in 1970, average annual hours worked per employee amounted to only 60% of those for 1870. Two major factors are attributed to explaining the underlying trend towards a reduction in working time: (a) the increase in the number of voluntary part‐time employees and (b) the decrease in average annual number of days worked per employee (Kok and de Neubourg, 1986). The authors noted that the growth rate of part‐time employment in many countries was greater than the corresponding rate of growth in full‐time employment.

The article seeks to explain the rapid increase in the use of agency “temps” by employers during the 1990s. It tests the thesis of profound change in employers' labour use decisions.

The data was from in‐depth interviews with human resource/line managers in 12 work organisations in the UK responsible for decisions on use of temporary agency labour. Organisations were chosen to include a variety of industrial sectors, sizes and locations.

Although there were common trends in organisations, including declining numbers of permanent jobs and waves of restructuring, organisations varied in their approach: it was not always profound change. The paper finds four distinct types of agency labour use and developed a 2 × 2 typology, depending on whether employers were acting strategically or reactively, and whether they were using temps for supplementation, or more far‐reaching substitution, for permanent workers.

Research is based on UK data and is a “snapshot” of the situation. However, the typology can be used to analyse temporary agency labour usage in other settings and time periods.

The findings could be used by human resource managers to assist them in making decisions on use of agency workers.

The paper makes associations between external and internal contexts within which organisations operate and how these affect decisions on temporary agency labour usage.

Debates a controversial issue in healthcare management, that is, whether internal rotation (day‐night) or permanent night shifts is an appropriate shift system for nursing staff. A multidisciplinary approach draws together international research from the fields of occupational psychology, management, ergonomics and medicine. Explores evidence on sleep, physical and mental health, job satisfaction, performance, absenteeism, and social and domestic disruption, all important factors in considering appropriate shift patterns. Suggests that both nurse choice (or non‐choice) of shift and adjustment, or otherwise, of circadian rhythms are important causal factors influencing the debate. As no unequivocal picture emerges, recognizes some of the real and potential limitations of a paper of this kind; however, the balance of argument tends to favour the maintenance of permanent night shift nurses as opposed to the further extension of internal rotation systems. This is especially the case as many nurses will still be given a choice of shift pattern which may, in itself, negate some of the potential ill‐effects of night working. Decisions further to extend internal rotation may, in the light of the complex, ambiguous and equivocal evidence, be informed by partial knowledge and influenced by a managerial perspective.

This research is situated at a metropolitan university in Melbourne (Australia) where the authors work in initial teacher education programs within the same faculty. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness that collegial, collaborative and “co-caring” environments can foster an improved sense of belonging, acceptance and inclusion in the academy. They also argue that communities of practice may foster an improved sense of belonging that enhances empowerment and harmony among all staff in academia in pandemic times and beyond.

The authors draw on case study methodology as a qualitative approach to understand and illuminate the phenomena under study. Case study methodology provides an in-depth understanding of their trifocal voices, as it allows them to voice their stories through collaborative autoethnography. The authors use self-narratives to unpack their sense of belonging in academic spaces. Collaborative autoethnography (CAE) enabled them to work together as a team of women and as a community of researchers.

The findings foreground the responsibilities of casual staff while concomitantly articulating the challenges faced by both permanent and casual staff to create a “sense of belonging” in the academy. The authors found that social connection engenders a sense of belonging and inclusion within a space that is often beset by neoliberal ideologies of competitiveness and individual achievement. They articulate their stress, pressure and uncertainty as permanent and as casual academics working supportively to develop and maintain identity in very difficult circumstances. They share how they developed professional relationships which bring unforeseen benefits and personal friendship at a time of especially restrictive practices.

The paper includes three voices, a limitation in itself, thus generalisations cannot be made to other academics or institutions. Employing CAE offers the possibility of delving more deeply into the emotional complexities inherent within this method for further research. They recommend a sense of “co-caring” as a form of pastoral care in the “induction program” for all academics including casual staff. While this may not “strategically” fit in with many because of power imbalances, the journey of co-caring and sharing and building friendships within the academy has a limited presence in the literature and calls for further investigation.

The authors draw attention to the need for higher education institutes to recognise the role permanent staff play when working with casual academics.

The authors draw attention to the need to be inclusive and collaborative as a way to improve the divide and strengthen connections between permanent and casual academics at university worksites. This is imperative given the shifting demographics within Australia and its workforce. They also highlight issues of race in the academy.

This is an original work carried out by the authors. It raises concerns about a sense of belonging in the academy, job certainty and the place of people of colour as these issues may also be experienced by other full-time and casual academics.

Employers of part‐time labour generally regard it as a means of overcoming scheduling problems either be‐cause of peak demands, staff shortages or when the work itself does not justify full‐time hours. For women, part‐time schedules provide a means of reconciling two, often conflicting, forms of work activity within and outside the home. “The presence of children and the age of the youngest child are, therefore, major determinants of whether women work full or part‐time. Part‐time work is for women a frequent means of re‐entry into the labour force”. (Daly 1986)