ABSTRACT
Our understanding of the employee–organizational relationship (EOR) (Coyle-Shapiro, Shore, Taylor, & Tetrick, 2004), as well as other behavioral theories or frameworks related to the employment relationship, is heavily based on the implicit notion of a “standard” employment arrangement (e.g., Ashford, George, & Blatt, 2007; Gallagher & Sverke, 2005; George & Chattopadhyay, 2005; Pfeffer & Baron, 1988; Rousseau, 1997). The EOR draws upon social exchange theory (Blau, 1964) and the inducements– contributions model (March & Simon, 1958) to explain why workers respond to their employers’ actions by engaging in reciprocal behaviors. As such, the EOR forms the foundations of many fundamental theories underlying worker behaviors (e.g., psychological contract, perceived organizational support, leader–member exchange, organizational commitment). However, this begs a theoretical and practical question: What if the worker is not an “employee” per se, and what if the employer is potentially a client or even a series of clients, sometimes found through an intermediary?
