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The rapid growth in the size and nature of ‘non-standard’ work arrangements (such as co-employment) has raised questions about their effect on the commitment and loyalty of the workers concerned. While maintaining and encouraging employee commitment is a core human resource management function in standard work arrangements, there is far less guidance available for equivalent practice within a non-standard context. Additionally, it remains unclear as to whether organisational behaviour theories used to explain commitment in the standard work context are generalisable to less traditional work settings. The study described here measured the commitment and perceived support (organisational and social) of labour-hire workers in the Australian construction industry to their employing agency and their current host firm. Also investigated was the relationship between these forms of support and affective commitment to both entities. The results indicate that the workers were committed to both entities although their commitment to and their perceptions of organisational and social support from the employing agency was higher. Further, we found a positive association between employing agency affective commitment and both forms of perceived support and a positive association between host affective commitment and perceived host organisational support. These results affirm the existence of dual commitment and highlight the role that positive perceptions of support play in engendering this commitment. While the findings indicate that conventional organisational theories are relevant to human resource management practices in co-employment relationships, it is suggested that such practices must account for the great diversity of contexts, employees and employment arrangements that characterise these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose -- The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee perceptions of their organization's management of cultural diversity, their perceived organizational support and affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach -- A questionnaire survey was developed and distributed to a sample of employees working in a large Australian financial institution. Findings -- Analysis of the data shows that, when controlling for perceived organizational support, there is no direct relationship between cultural diversity management perceptions and affective commitment. Rather, the data support an indirect relationship between the two variables via perceived organizational support. Research limitations/implications -- Implications are, first, that managers need to recognize the potential contribution of developing a positive workplace atmosphere for cultural diversity to strengthen employee perceived organizational support, which in turn enhances affective commitment. Second, the research findings underscore the importance of perceived organizational support in linking cultural diversity management perceptions to organizational outcomes, such as affective commitment. Third, managers should not underestimate the influence of initiatives, such as making all employees feel included in the "taken-for-granted" informal networks in engendering positive organizational and individual attitudes. Originality/value -- The paper examines cultural diversity management from the employees' (rather than a management) perspective to develop a fully mediated model using organizational support to link cultural diversity management perceptions to commitment. The study reinforces the need to rethink simple relationships between cultural diversity management perceptions and organizational/individual outcomes, to consider more complex models that include important mediating variables to more fully understand the effects of cultural diversity, management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]