As gig economy based firms increasingly rely upon algorithmic management to regulate their gig workers, we explore how driver-partners’ psychological contacts working for two major ridesharing platforms based on Mumbai evolve. The gig workers’ responses in how they adapt and thrive to the challenges posed by the information asymmetry brought about by the app’s algorithms are qualitatively captured using semi-structured interviews. From the thematic analysis that follows, we learn that the gig workers perceive psychological contract violation when repetitive attempts via problem-focused coping fail to resolve the psychological contract breach induced discrepancies. Though functional coping responses are persisted initially, we find that a collective influenced employee reaction follows soon. This collective attempt at resetting the power asymmetry leads the drivers to disengage with their organisations and resort to counterproductive work behaviour hacks. These temporary and significant quick fixes (identified as jugaad in the local culture) help the gig workers thrive amidst their disengagement states.

PurposeTo understand how Indian first-time mothers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) organisations returning to work cope with the perceived ideological psychological contract breaches from a work–home resources perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis paper utilises interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) within the work–home resources (W-HR) model to analyse returning first-time mothers' lived experiences.FindingsThis study shows that significant life/work events such as childbirth/lack of career growth can trigger resource depletion at work and home and materialise in first-time mothers perceiving ideological psychological contract breaches at work. It has also been observed that key resource usage and macro support structures aid employees in attenuating work–home conflict by balancing contextual demands and personal resources. This study's participant accounts reveal that the recovery of volatile resources was possible by psychologically detaching and being silent.Originality/valueThe study offers a distinctive perspective by investigating the ideological PC breach experienced by first-time Indian mothers upon their organisational re-entry from a work–home resource model lens. Situated in a unique socio-cultural space and bringing forth the rich lived experiences of women working in the Indian STEM field, this paper explores how key resources shape the coping responses of first-time mothers in this context.

In this qualitative study spread across three Indian states—Assam, Kerala and Maharashtra, we explore how 13 Indian staff nurses working full time in the first wave of the COVID pandemic cope with the increased job demands and perceived psychological contract breaches (PCB) from a work−home resources (W−HR) perspective. The study utilises the W−HR model as a theoretical lens to analyse the nurses’ lived experiences through a phenomenological approach. We could observe that a significant black swan event such as the pandemic can trigger resource depletion at work and home and materialise in PCB at work for the nurses. Nurses then resort to sensemaking to tide over the pandemic-affected work circumstances by balancing contextual demands and personal resources. By integrating PCB experienced by these nurses via a W−HR model framework, we address calls by researchers to understand how psychological contracts change over time.