At-entry differences in part-time and full-time employees

Research consistently shows part- and full-time workers to be different on a variety of characteristics such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intentions to leave the organization. This study challenges the commonly accepted argument that these differences are due to the different structural conditions of work that are faced by part- and full-time workers. The possibility that these differences are the consequence of at-entry differences in dispositions and orientations to work is tested on a sample of part- and full-time registered nurses who had just begun employment. With one exception the part-and full-time employees were found to be the same on fourteen at-entry characteristics. These results strongly suggest that it is the structural conditions of work that produce the often observed differences found between part- and full-time workers.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1991 Midwest Sociological Society Meetings, Des Moines, Iowa, April 11–14. Support for the original data collection came from the Division of Nursing of the Health Resources and Services Administration (R01 NU01050-01A1). Joanne McCloskey is to be thanked for allowing us to use this data set.