Part-time nurses: The effect of work status congruency on job attitudes

We conducted two studies (N = 204 and N = 251) to examine how work status c ongruency (preference to work part-time versus full-time) influences the jo b attitudes and reactions to organisational restructuring of part-time nurs es employed in a hospital setting. The discriminant function analysis resul ts indicated a significant effect for work status congruency for both sampl es. Compared with nurses with an incongruent work status (i.e. who would ha ve preferred to work full-time), nurses with a congruent work status (i.e. preferred to work part-time) were older and more satisfied with the financi al rewards of their jobs. Conversely, nurses with an incongruent work statu s reported greater satisfaction with the kind of work they were performing. There were no significant differences for overall job satisfaction, escape coping, and turnover intention. Finally, there were differences between th e samples for job insecurity and use of control-oriented coping strategies, most likely related to changes in the health-care system at the time of th e second study.