Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 17(3) 287–297 © Baker College 2010 Reprints and permission: http://www. sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1548051810368679 http://jlos.sagepub.com Temporary Worker Alienation and Job Performance: The Impact of Rating Source Sara K. Clark 1 , Jonathon R. B. Halbesleben 2 , Scott W. Lester 1 , and Robert Heintz 1 Abstract This study extends previous research on alienation of temporary workers, by developing a measure of temporary worker alienation and examining differences in the perceptions of alienation between temporary workers, coworkers, and supervisors. This study found that supervisors’ ratings of temporary worker alienation were significantly lower than the temporary workers’ self-ratings. Moreover, the authors found that alienation was negatively associated with self-ratings of job performance but unrelated to supervisors’ ratings of job performance. This supports the contention, based on literature concerning the treatment of temporary workers, that a gap exists between supervisors and temporary workers with regard to perceived alienation. Keywords temporary work, alienation, performance There has been a growing interest in the function and imple- mentation of the temporary workforce. In the past few years, research has been dedicated to uncovering varying aspects of temporary work, including counterproductive behaviors of temporary workers (Postuma, Campion, & Varas, 2005), costs, benefits, and risks of hiring temporary workers (Gibelman, 2005), transition of temporary workers to permanent workers (Vosko, 2008), and legal rights of tem- porary workers (Smith, 2008). Yet only a small amount of research has been conducted with regard to the personal experience of temporary workers. Personal experiences play an important role in the understanding and management of temporary workers as well as their performance and turnover (Wheeler & Buckley, 2001). Thus, research that examines temporary worker experiences is important for the effective utilization of these workers (Connelly & Gallagher, 2004). In addition, there are ethical consequences of alienating tempo- rary employees. Kanungo (1992) critically examined the role of business ethics and employee alienation. This research notes that management practices can be responsible for workers’ feelings of alienation. For these reasons, it is impor- tant to understand the psychological impact of alienation on contingent employees in order to maintain their well-being. A temporary worker is defined as an employee who does not have an explicit contract for long-term employment (see Chen, Popovich, & Kogan, 1999; Polivka & Nardone, 1989). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2005a) reported that there were 1.2 million temporary employees. Over the next decade, the staffing industry is anticipated to create more jobs, with an expected growth rate of 45.5 percent compared with an all-industry average of only 14% (Bureau of Labor Statis- tics, 2005b). According to a more recent study (HR Focus, 2006), it was estimated that contingent workers (which include temporary workers as well as other job classifications such as part-time and seasonal workers) account for as much as 11.3% of the total workforce. Increasing numbers of tempo- rary workers have been seen in other countries as well. For example, in Japan and Germany, temporary employees make up 14% of the workforce (Hayashi, 2008). The purpose of this study was twofold. The first objec- tive was to extend the literature on temporary worker experiences by studying their perceptions of alienation. Based on previous research and theory concerning alien- ation, we argue that alienation is perceived differently by temporary workers and their supervisors. As a result of this expected difference, the impact that alienation has on per- formance assessments will significantly depend on who is evaluating the performance (i.e., temporary worker or 1 University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA 2 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA Corresponding Author: Sara K. Clark, Department of Management & Marketing, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, 105 Garfield Avenue, PO Box 4004, Eau Claire, WI 54702, USA Email: clarksk@uwec.edu by guest on February 9, 2016 jlo.sagepub.com Downloaded from