Forestry students, employers, and the implied contract: expectationsand obligations

Recently graduated forestry majors will start their jobs with preexisting perceptions regarding the reciprocal obligations between themselves and their employers. These perceptions will form a type of implied contract between the two parties. To investigate the problems thatcan arise when a new employee perceives an employer to have broken that contract, we surveyed senior forestry majors (before and after they found jobs) and employers. Results indicate that agency and industry employers create significantly different expectations for their new employees. Moreover, negative outcomes related to turnover, performance, and satisfaction will result when new employees perceive that employers have not fulfilled their obligations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]