Introduction: Psychological contracts—unwritten expectations between employees and employers—play a critical role in shaping workplace behavior and well-being. Breaches of these contracts (PCB) have been shown to undermine satisfaction, motivation, and interpersonal relations. However, most research has focused on employees' perceptions rather than the discrete workplace events that trigger breaches. Drawing on Event System Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, this study investigates how event-based PCB emerges, its consequences for employees, and its spillover into personal relationships.


Purpose: We aimed to (a) identify workplace events that trigger PCB, (b) develop and validate the Psychological Contract Breach Triggering Events Questionnaire (PCBTEQ), and (c) examine the consequences of event-based PCB for workplace and interpersonal behaviors.


Method: A mixed-methods design was employed across three studies. Study 1 involved interviews with 24 employees to identify breach-triggering events, leading to the development of the PCBTEQ. Study 2 validated the tool using survey data from 416 employees, testing its psychometric properties. Study 3 examined spillover effects in 164 dual-earner couples, focusing on interpersonal dynamics both at work and at home.


Results: Forty-seven breach-triggering events were identified, clustered into six categories such as unmet promises, leadership changes, and unfair treatment. Validation results confirmed the PCBTEQ's reliability and convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Event-based PCB predicted reduced helping behaviors and increased interpersonal deviance at work. Importantly, spillover analyses revealed negative effects on personal relationships, with reduced support and heightened conflict in dual-earner couples. Resource depletion, rather than revenge cognitions, emerged as the primary mechanism.


Conclusions: This research advances PCB literature by shifting attention from perceptions to event-based triggers and by documenting spillover effects into personal life. The PCBTEQ offers organizations a practical tool to identify and manage psychological contract risks, thereby safeguarding employee well-being and relational dynamics.