Supportive relations and worker retention in platform work: Toward a relational platform ecosystem perspective

While the importance of worker retention in online platforms is widely recognized, our understanding of how to achieve this is still limited. This study takes a novel approach, drawing on psychological contract theory and adopting a relational platform ecosystem perspective. I delve into the impact of supportive relations with various actors within the platform ecosystem experienced by online workers on their platform commitment and retention. Based on a time-lagged two-wave survey of 652 online workers, the study reveals that the extent of supportive relations with platform providers and virtual peer communities significantly enhances workers’ affective commitment to a platform, thereby reducing platform churn intentions. These findings, which focus on the unique dynamics of platform work, make valuable contributions to the human resource and organizational behavior literature by highlighting the importance of relational psychological contracts and socioemotional exchanges within platform ecosystems.