We are looking for a motivated social scientist with a background in, for example, human resource management or organizational behavior/psychology, who is interested in improving our understanding of employment relationships by further exploring social exchange theory as a theoretical basis for studying contemporary employment relationships

Social exchange theory is the most prominent theoretical explanation of the dynamics within employment relationships. To date, however, most research has focused on backward-looking exchange in employment relationships, explaining dynamics within employment relationships by looking at the exchange of commitments in the past (e.g., workers looking at their past rewards to decide if they want to stay in a company). However, forward-looking exchange, which focuses on the impact of future exchanges within relationships on dynamics within the employment relationship (e.g., workers considering potential future rewards to decide about their efforts and commitment in the current employment relationship), has received little attention so far. In this project, you will contribute to research aimed at better understanding the impact of forward-looking exchanges on employment relationships.

You will lay the conceptual groundwork for understanding the role of forward-looking exchanges in employment relationships and explore how backward-looking and forward-looking exchanges might interact in explaining dynamics within employment relationships. Specifically, you will conduct both qualitative and quantitative studies to explore the concept, develop measurement instruments, and test these instruments in relation to dynamics and outcomes within employment relationships. Your home base for this project will be the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Organization Sciences of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. As a postdoc, you will work with Prof. Dr. Bianca Beersma (VU Department of Organization Studies), Dr. Jos Akkermans (VU Department of Management and Organization), and Dr. Jeroen de Jong (Radboud University Nijmegen Department of Strategic HRM). You will also collaborate with international team members, including Prof. Dr. Nele De Cuyper and Prof. Dr. Anneleen Forrier (both KU Leuven, Belgium).

Your duties
In collaboration with the above team, you will perform the following tasks. Note that the specific goals and outcomes of the projects will be finalized in collaboration with the team after starting the project. For example, it might be possible to decide on an emphasis on qualitative or quantitative elements.

• Conduct a literature review of forward-looking exchanges in employment relationships.
• Conduct an exploratory, qualitative study on forward-looking exchange.
• Lead the development of a new measure for forward-looking exchange.
• Conduct a quantitative study of the antecedents and outcomes of forward-looking exchange dynamics.
• Write journal articles based on the above research.
• Teach bachelor and master students; teaching topics will be aligned with research topics (0.2 fte teaching in case of a full-time appointment). For example, you will supervise master thesis students who do research on the above topic.

• a Ph.D. in (work and organizational) psychology, organizational behavior, organization sciences, or human resource management
• preferably experience in qualitative and quantitative research designs.
• experience with and/or an interest in Open Science.
• experience with teamwork, and you enjoy collaborating with others.
• good communication skills and the ability to work in an international environment.
• strong communication skills in Dutch (required to conduct interviews with Dutch research participants)
• strong academic writing skills, as evidenced by publications in scientific journals.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €3,226 (scale 10)
and a maximum €5,090 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 1 FTE.

The initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a total duration of two years. Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment, 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus, child daycare facilities available on campus, a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge, discounts on collective insurances (healthcare- and car insurance);

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 31,000 students. We employ over 5,000 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences examines the major social problems of our time from multiple perspectives. From bullying at school to dealing with transnational immigration, from the rise of populist politicians to creating a self-reliant society. Only at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you will find all the academic disciplines needed to understand these 'wicked problems': alongside the traditional disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and politics, we also research and teach the new social sciences such as communication science and management & organization science. We do not settle for easy answers in our teaching and research. Our researchers and students are critical thinkers and doers who work together to devise surprising solutions to the problems of today.

Working at the Faculty of Social Sciences means working with colleagues from a range of academic disciplines in an inspiring and personal work and study environment with excellent research facilities. We employ more than 350 staff members, and we are home to around 3,000 students.