Capitalizing on the benefits of utilizing part-time employees through job autonomy

There are over 20 million part-time employees in the United States, however research on part-time employees is quite limited. Research has revealed inconsistencies when comparing part-time and full-time employees on various job outcomes (e.g., performance, commitment). As a test of Feldman's (1990) causal model of part-time work, this study provides evidence that autonomy mediates the relationship between job status (part-time vs, full-time) and such outcomes, which can help explain some of the inconsistencies in previous research. Managerial implications are discussed.