Employment Relationships in Dairy Farming - Psychological Contracts Reconsidered

Abstract

The essence of psychological contracting (in the contest of employment) is meeting mutual expectations. The common denominator between legal contracting and psychological contracting is that both are designed to express expectations of the self and of the other. Legal expectations lead to outcomes that are observable, measureable and usually quantifiable. Psychological expectations are usually invisible but nonetheless very real.

This paper expresses the need for greater attentions to psychological contracting in a dairy sector going through substantial structural changes involving the replacement of self-employed farmers by hired managers and contract milkers and the widespread adoption of once-a-day milking.