Mismatch in working hours and affective commitment

PurposeThis study examined the relationship between two types of mismatch (i.e. non‐correspondence between preferred and actual number of hours), and affective commitment. It was argued that specific groups of employees, i.e. women and part‐time working employees, attach more importance to their working hours and, therefore, are less likely to show affective commitment when they experience a mismatch.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from 222 employees of a Dutch Ministry, hypotheses were tested using regression analyses.FindingsIt was shown that a mismatch of working more hours was differentially related to the affective commitment of employees who wanted to work more and who wanted to work fewer hours. Moreover, gender and full‐time status were found to moderate the negative relationship between a mismatch and the affective commitment of employees who wants to work less.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus is on affective commitment; however, it is possible that other types of commitment are also associated with perceptions of psychological contract breach.Practical implicationsTailored HRM is needed: assisting employees with a mismatch wanting to work fewer hours can be achieved by allowing them more flexibility in their working schedules. Employees with a mismatch of wanting to work more hours can be assisted with additional support, e.g. shopping services.Originality/valueHRM practices can be tailored to different preferences: the value of this paper is the examination of different types of mismatch for different group of employees.