Abstract: The rise of digital and platform economy has fostered new forms of employment represented by ride-hailing services, where workers provide services through internet platforms, with their labor processes deeply regulated by algorithms. Platforms and workers are connected through service agreements, which are less binding than traditional employment contracts, thereby highlighting the central role of psychological contracts. Accordingly, this paper examines the formation mechanism of psychological contracts among workers in new employment forms. Drawing on a survey of ride-hailing drivers’ occupational conditions and experiments simulating ride-hailing work scenarios, it examines how the characteristics of platform algorithmic allocation rules influence drivers’ psychological contracts. The findings show that the clarity of the platform’s compensation rules and the effectiveness of reward-and-penalty rules promote the formation of psychological contracts among drivers, with procedural justice playing a mediating role. This paper reveals the distinctive features of psychological contract formation between workers and firms mediated by algorithmic platforms, and, by comparing decision-making procedures in new and traditional contexts, elucidates the critical role of procedural justice in this process. The findings provide theoretical foundations and practical implications for optimizing platform economy governance and building harmonious “platform-worker” relationships.

Key words: ride-hailing platforms, algorithm management, procedural justice, psychological contract

摘要： 数字经济的兴起催生了以网约车为代表的新型就业形态，从业者依托互联网平台提供服务，其劳动过程受到算法的深度调控。平台与从业者通过服务协议建立连接，这种关系比雇佣合同的约束性弱，凸显了心理契约的核心纽带作用。为此，本研究聚焦于新业态从业者心理契约的形成机制，针对网约车司机的职业状况展开调研，并模拟网约车工作场景设计实验，考察了平台算法分配规则的性质对网约车司机心理契约的影响路径。研究发现，平台报酬规则的清晰性与奖惩规则的有效性能够促进司机形成心理契约，而程序公平在其中发挥中介作用。本研究揭示了从业者与企业以算法平台为媒介形成心理契约的特点，并从新旧场景下决策程序的差异切入，阐释了程序公平在心理契约形成过程中的关键作用。研究成果为优化平台经济治理模式、构建和谐的“平台-从业者”关系提供了理论依据与实践启示。

关键词: 网约车平台, 算法管理, 程序公平, 心理契约