Abstract
Within the context of labor market transformations driven by the digital economy, the protection of platform flexible employees’ rights has emerged as a critical issue requiring comprehensive analysis. While existing research predominantly focuses on the legal frameworks and institutional structures governing rights protection, there is a significant gap in understanding how perceived labor rights protection influences the job performance of platform flexible employees. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, this study develops a moderated mediation model to examine the impact of perceived labor rights protection on the job performance of platform flexible employees. It also explores the mediating role of career resilience and the moderating effect of person–environment fit in this relationship. We conducted an empirical analysis using a sample of 521 platform flexible employees in China. The results indicate that career resilience mediates the relationship between perceived labor rights protection and job performance, while person–environment fit moderates this mechanism. This research enriches the theoretical literature on platform flexible employees’ perceptions and job performance, extends the application of SDT to platform-based flexible employment, and offers new insights for enhancing the job performance of platform flexible employees.
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The authors would like to thank the article editor and reviewers for their thoughtful comments that greatly improved the paper.
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This study was supported by the Shandong Provincial Social Science Planning Project (Grant No. 25CFNJ06).
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RF: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing—Review & Editing. DE: Formal analysis, Data Curation, Writing—Review & Editing. KY: Validation, Writing—Review & Editing. ZW: Investigation, Visualization. All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication.
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This study strictly adhered to the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Business Administration of Shandong University of Finance and Economics. We confirmed that all participants understand the purpose of our research and provided informed consent.
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Appendix
Appendix
Demographic variables table.
Variable name | Item | Frequency | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
Gender | Male | 324 | 62.19 |
Female | 197 | 37.81 | |
Age | Under 20 years old | 37 | 7.11 |
20–30 years old | 211 | 40.50 | |
30–40 years old | 157 | 30.13 | |
40–50 years old | 78 | 14.97 | |
Over 50 years old | 38 | 7.29 | |
Education | Junior high school and below | 79 | 15.16 |
High school | 187 | 35.89 | |
College/vocational education | 163 | 31.29 | |
Undergraduate | 72 | 13.82 | |
Master degree or above | 20 | 3.84 | |
Total | 521 | 100.0 | |
LR scale.
LR | Items | |
|---|---|---|
Compensation and benefits | 1 | I can receive the full payment on time |
2 | I am able to receive fair compensation that reflects the work I put in | |
3 | I am able to receive social insurance and various benefits, just like traditional employees | |
4 | I can independently select my work tasks, schedule, and methods | |
Flexible employment system | 1 | Current laws can protect my various labor rights when engaging in flexible work on digital platforms |
2 | The existing policies effectively support the labor rights of workers engaged in flexible work on the platform | |
3 | When disputes or losses occur, I have adequate remedies available, and my labor rights can be protected | |
4 | The current policies and laws governing flexible employment are well-established and effectively implemented | |
Platform algorithms and management rules | 1 | The platform’s algorithm fairly assigns tasks |
2 | The platform’s algorithm for wage distribution and commission deductions is fair and reasonable | |
3 | The platform has a reasonable management system, a well-established reward and penalty framework, and a comprehensive dispute resolution mechanism | |
4 | I have signed a formal labor contract with either the platform or the labor dispatch company, clearly establishing the employment relationship | |
Job security for flexible employment | 1 | I can feel the support and protection that the platform provides me at work |
2 | I have a positive working environment | |
3 | I am able to safely engage in flexible platform work while maintaining both my physical and mental health | |
4 | My job offers excellent potential for growth, and this career path has a promising future | |
5 | I am able to receive training related to professional skills and career development |
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Xu, R., Hou, D., Sun, K. et al. The effects of perceived labor rights protection on job performance in platform flexible employees: The role of career resilience and person–environment fit. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44150-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44150-y
