Research increasingly recognizes employees as important actors in pay information disclosure. However, less is known about when employees seek pay information. Drawing on motivated reasoning theory, we examined how employee-, organizational-, and societal-level factors predicted internal and external pay information seeking. Data from a representative two-wave employee survey in Swiss regions differing in uncertainty avoidance showed that employees sought more pay information externally than internally. Employees with higher turnover intention were more likely to seek pay information both internally and externally, while other factors influencing internal and external pay information seeking differed. Newcomers, employees in organizations with greater distributive pay transparency, and those living in regions with higher uncertainty avoidance were more likely to seek internally. Employees willing to share their pay information, working in organizations restricting pay communication, those who had recently received a pay raise, and those who trusted their organization less were more likely to seek externally.
Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) are central to payroll administration, yet payroll inefficiencies persist despite substantial investment in digital technologies. This study examined how employees’ perceptions of HRIS—perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use—and employee attitudes influence payroll effectiveness in Uganda’s public service. Data were collected from 100 users of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS) and Human Capital Management System (HCMS) across the Ministry of Public Service, three government universities, and seven local governments. The findings show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and positive employee attitudes improve payroll effectiveness by enhancing the accuracy, timeliness, and reliability of payroll administration. Employee attitude partially mediates the relationship between perceived usefulness and payroll effectiveness but does not mediate the relationship between perceived ease of use and payroll effectiveness. The study extends the Technology Acceptance Model to mandatory public-sector HRIS and highlights the importance of user-centred system design, training, and change management.
Traditional long-term executive incentive plans (LTIPs) too often fail in volatile markets because they rely on fixed, absolute targets that are susceptible to overconfidence bias and unpredictable external economic shifts. These impacts result in erratic payouts, alternating between windfall gains and demotivating zeros, that fail to align executive incentives with genuine performance. This article employs Trane Technologies as an illustrative case, drawing on publicly disclosed financial data from 2015 through 2024, to demonstrate a more resilient alternative: the Indexed LTIP. By adding operating metrics such as revenue growth and EBITDA against industry peers and utilizing a percentile ranking system, the approach offers boards and compensation committees a stress-tested methodology to reduce payout volatility and improve long-term alignment with shareholder interests.
In this paper we examine the determinants of health insurance enrollment decisions among state employees in New Mexico, focusing on demographic, economic, and institutional factors, and assess how plan features and Medicaid eligibility influence enrollment behavior. We use a cross-sectional design employing a recursive system of Probit and Multinomial Probit models estimated via the Conditional Mixed Process framework. This system models sequential decisions regarding Medicaid participation, State Health Benefits (SHB) enrollment, dependent coverage, and plan network choice. Our analysis uses administrative enrollment records from the New Mexico Health Care Authority covering 22,556 benefits-eligible employees across state government branches in 2024. The dataset includes individual-level demographics, compensation, enrollment status, and plan selection details. Medicaid participation is strongly influenced by age, gender, income, and geography, and significantly reduces SHB enrollment probability by approximately 43 percentage points. SHB enrollment is also sensitive to gender and income, with nonresident employees less likely to participate. Dependent coverage decisions vary by gender and earnings, with higher-income males more likely to choose family or spouse plans. Network selection is associated with age, Medicaid status, and premium sensitivity. Presbyterian HMO is the most selected plan, indicating employee preference for cost-saving options. Health insurance decisions among state employees are shaped by a combination of individual characteristics and institutional constraints. Medicaid functions as a substitute for employer-sponsored coverage, particularly among low-income workers. Policymakers should consider aligning premium structures with employee needs and coordinating Medicaid eligibility cycles with SHB open enrollment to enhance participation and optimize benefit design.
Flexible work arrangements have been extensively advocated to improve employee performance. However, research evidence from non-Western, process-intensive service contexts remains underrepresented. Critically, it is unclear whether organizational commitment-based or work–family balance-based pathways are more influential in traditional work settings characterized by conservative institutional gender role expectations, an important boundary condition for social exchange theory (SET) and job characteristics theory (JCT). This research examines the relationship between job flexibility (JF) and female employees’ performance (PERF) via work–family balance (WFBS) and organizational commitment (OC) in Moroccan insurance companies. Analysis is based on survey data from 300 respondents and structural equation modeling. Results indicate that it has a modest direct positive effect on performance and significantly benefits OC as well as WFBS. OC was found to strongly predict performance and significantly mediate the flexibility–performance relationship, while work–family balance had a nonsignificant mediating effect, implying that flexibility may lead to higher performance in jobs with high levels of service standardization when viewed as sincere organizational support (increasing commitment) rather than an immediate enhancer of work–life balance. Thus, this study underscores the value of implementing flexibility policies that focus on fostering perceptions of fairness, trust, and supportive climates among female employees working in insurance companies or similar settings.
Various studies have examined how early retirement and reduced retirement contributions, both voluntarily and involuntarily, have affected workers, in general, due to COVID-19. This paper discusses and highlights specific financial impacts for employees due to early retirement. Evaluations based on standard actuarial methods are described and quantitatively presented. These evaluations show that early retirement has a more severe impact on older age employees. As expected, early retirement has a higher retirement income reduction for those with a high salary-asset ratio, since early retirement reduces the overall contribution to the retirement plan. Furthermore, we show that a reduced contribution overall impacts the retirement annual income uniformly regardless of age, and it more severely impacts those who plan to work longer than those who plan to retire soon. We also found that early retirement has a similar reduction impact on both fixed dollar amount contribution and fixed percentage of salary contribution mechanisms.
This study explores the impact of equity incentive contractual terms on firm performance across different corporate life cycle stages in China. Drawing on panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies (2010–2023), this study empirically assesses how the implementation and structure of equity incentive plans, which include incentive intensity, recipient coverage, and the proportion allocated to key employees, affect firm performance. The findings indicate that the adoption of equity incentives, greater incentive intensity, broader recipient coverage, and a higher allocation to key employees are positively associated with improved firm performance. Moreover, when distinguished by corporate life cycle stages, the results reveal that the positive effects of the implementation of equity incentives, wider coverage, and greater allocation to key personnel are consistently significant across all stages, with the most pronounced impact observed during the growth stage. Notably, incentive intensity exerts a significantly positive effect on performance only during the growth phase.
Calibration committees are groups of managers who come together to review and adjust employee performance ratings, typically submitted by direct supervisors. Their aim is to improve the fairness, consistency, and accuracy of evaluations by aligning rating standards across teams, facilitating information sharing, and mitigating individual biases. While widely adopted, calibration remains a subject of debate, with questions about both its effectiveness and unintended consequences. Drawing on recent research, this article examines how calibration committees function, why organizations rely on them, and the potential pitfalls in their design and implementation. It offers practical guidance for HR professionals and managers seeking to enhance the fairness and impact of their performance evaluation systems through more thoughtful calibration practices.
Employee ownership can be a powerful wealth-building and performance tool because it aligns incentives, rewards long-tenured contribution, and can anchor businesses in their communities when the ownership stake is durable and broadly shared. But “employee ownership” is not one thing: different models vary dramatically in governance rights, fiduciary duties, valuation discipline, portability, and whether employees have enforceable protections if the sponsor’s interests diverge. This article examines “message collision,” the tendency for distinct models to be rhetorically collapsed into a single category of employee ownership, and argues that such collapse can distort public understanding and policy design. Using the parallel emergence of Ownership Works and Expanding ESOPs, two initiatives associated with Peter Stavros that pursue employee-ownership objectives through different mechanisms and in different company contexts, the article shows how ambiguous framing can unintentionally cast private equity “shared ownership” programs as substitutes for, or threats to, ESOPs. It then proposes a governance-based typology and a set of definitional, institutional, and communications guardrails designed to preserve clarity across ESOPs, employee ownership trusts, worker cooperatives, and broad-based equity participation programs.
Employee ownership, as workplace democracy in practice, depends on credible rules aligning worker voice with distributive outcomes. This study tests how internal accounting transparency and democratic participation shape the credibility and performance of gain sharing in employee-owned firms across Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Drawing on workplace democracy, information processing, and stewardship theories, we argue that routine disclosure of financial metrics builds trust in surplus allocation rules, while participatory governance turns trust into cooperative effort and performance. Using cross-national data and linear mixed models with country random effects, we find that (i) transparency and participation associate with higher credibility and uptake of gain sharing; and (ii) their interaction is positive, indicating complementarity between information openness and democratic voice. Results are stable across alternative operationalizations and institutional controls. Codifying transparent disclosure and participatory budgeting can stabilize expectations, reduce conflict, and sustain performance.
Employee job satisfaction is critical for organisational performance, yet the complex interplay between perceived organisational support (POS), pay equity, job equity, and job satisfaction remains underexplored. This study investigates the moderating role of POS on the relationships between equity perceptions (pay and job equity) and job satisfaction in the South African banking industry. Moderation analyses were conducted using a cross-sectional survey of 454 employees to examine these dynamics. Results indicate that both pay equity and job equity are positively associated with job satisfaction. POS significantly moderates the relationship between pay equity and job satisfaction but not between job equity and job satisfaction, suggesting domain-specific fairness dynamics. These findings extend Adam’s Equity Theory by demonstrating how organisational support can amplify or buffer the effects of equitable compensation on employee satisfaction, highlighting the differential mechanisms through which POS operates across equity dimensions. Practically, the study highlights the importance of implementing fair compensation and work allocation practices while fostering supportive organisational environments to enhance employee satisfaction and well-being.
Small business entrepreneurs face challenges in attracting investors and stabilizing their ventures, yet many adopt socially responsible HRM practices beyond shareholder demands, legal compliance, and union contracts. What drives these choices remains underexplored. Drawing on upper echelon theory, this study examines how CEO founders’ social-emotional skills and race predict the adoption of fair pay practices. We further suggest that access to market salary data and pay equity information (fair pay knowledge) serve as cognitive mechanisms linking founder characteristics to compensation decisions. Survey data from 125 women entrepreneurs in the U.S. indicate that higher responsible decision-making competency is associated with greater fair pay knowledge, which in turn predicts implementation of fair pay practices. Notably, after accounting for human capital, social-emotional skills, and firm revenue status, Black, Indigenous, and people of color reported lower adoption of fair pay practices, largely due to reduced fair pay information access relative to their White counterparts.
The question of whether Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) should receive financial incentives to act ethically sits at the intersection of corporate governance, behavioral theory, and normative ethics. Existing debates reflect polarized views on the efficacy and morality of paying leaders to uphold ethical standards. The aim of this paper is to offer a balanced perspective on the competing arguments surrounding ethical compensation for CEOs, evaluating the strengths and limitations of key theoretical approaches while proposing an integrated framework for future practice. This perspective synthesizes existing literature and theoretical contributions, including agency theory, behavioral economics, normative ethics, and feminist organizational theory to highlight tensions and overlapping principles in the discourse. In addition, the paper draws on five short case analyses of high-profile corporations. The paper highlights that incentive-based ethics programs may align executive behavior with stakeholder expectations under certain conditions, but also risk commodifying morality and encouraging symbolic rather than substantive ethical compliance. Measurement challenges and contextual ambiguity further complicate such an implementation. Ethical leadership cannot be reduced to monetary rewards alone. A hybrid model combining intrinsic development, transparent performance metrics, and stakeholder engagement may offer a more sustainable path toward ethical accountability. This nuanced approach invites continued interdisciplinary dialogue across business, ethics, and policy domains.
BACKGROUND:Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for more effective and targeted therapeutic strategies. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), known for its favorable safety profile and broad pharmacological effects, offers promising candidates for cancer treatment. Salvianolic acid F (SAF), a key bioactive compound derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza, has demonstrated antitumor potential, but its role and underlying mechanisms in lung cancer remain inadequately characterized. OBJECTIVE:This study investigated the anticancer efficacy of SAF in lung cancer and determines whether ultrasound can enhance its therapeutic effects, with a particular focus on the CXCL5/Wnt/β-catenin signaling axis. METHODS:Human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines H1299 and PC9 were treated with SAF alone or in combination with ultrasound. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were assessed using cell counting kit-8, scratch wound healing, and transwell assays, respectively. Gene expression changes were analyzed using RNA sequencing and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Functional involvement of CXCL5 was further confirmed through small interfering RNA-mediated gene silencing. RESULTS:SAF significantly inhibited proliferation, motility, and invasiveness of both H1299 and PC9 cells. These effects were markedly enhanced when SAF was delivered in conjunction with ultrasound exposure. Transcriptomic analysis revealed downregulation of CXCL5 and suppression of downstream Wnt/β-catenin signaling mediators, including Wnt5α and β-catenin. CXCL5 knockdown mimicked the inhibitory effects of SAF and synergized with SAF treatment, confirming the involvement of the CXCL5/Wnt/β-catenin axis in the observed antitumor response. CONCLUSIONS:Ultrasound-enhanced delivery of SAF significantly impairs lung cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by targeting the CXCL5/Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This combinatorial approach represents a novel and promising biotherapeutic strategy for lung cancer that integrates TCM-derived compounds with noninvasive delivery technologies.
Job dissatisfaction is a significant correlate with adverse business outcomes. This study aims to determine whether and to what extent paid time off is related to job satisfaction. Furthermore, we seek to understand how gender impacts this relationship. Research Design and Approach: A representative sample of US adults ( N = 7297) born between 1980 and 1984 surveyed via the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 was analyzed for a 17-year period before the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression and fixed effects modeling, along with 17 demographic and employment-related controls, identified significant relationships. Findings: Results suggest 6 to 10 paid time off days is related to significantly increased job satisfaction for male workers. In contrast, 11 or more paid time off days are needed to observe a statistically significant increase in job satisfaction for all workers and female employees.
Employer-sponsored healthcare facilities are seen as a way for organizations to potentially save on costs and improve health outcomes by providing care closer to their employee populations. However, these outcomes can only be realized if patients feel empowered to choose, and subsequently want to continue visiting, the clinic’s providers. In partnership with a scholar of health communication, the HR/Benefits team at a large Midwest organization developed website biographies of clinicians (i.e., doctors, nurse practitioners) employed at its on-site primary care clinic. Post-visit surveys of new patients over the course of 4 years ( n = 652) found that more than half of patients (55%) who viewed providers’ online biographies made a purposive selection of the provider they visited, versus only 35% who did not view the online biographies. Patients who viewed biographies and actively selected their providers also reported a greater degree of relatability to the provider, greater perceived expertise of the provider, as well as a greater level of certainty regarding how the provider would interact within the consultation. Relatability with the provider and patient satisfaction were also significantly positively related ( r = .73). By simply developing online biographies of providers, workplace clinics can offer prospective patients a realistic glimpse of the providers on-staff, helping to reduce patient uncertainty, and empower patients to make decisions of providers that align with their personal wants and needs. This better patient/provider fit will hopefully lead to improvements in employee health over time.
In high-pressure sales environments, compensation systems serve as both motivators and behavioral signals, influencing not only performance but also ethical conduct. This qualitative study investigates how call center sales managers across telecommunications, retail, banking, and healthcare sectors structure compensation systems to foster ethical behavior. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with 19 managers, the study identifies five key themes: equitable pay, realistic and attainable targets, ethically designed pay-for-performance incentives, evaluation and monitoring systems, and leading by example. While participants acknowledged the performance value of incentive schemes, they stressed the risks of unethical behavior when systems lack ethical boundaries or fairness. Findings confirm and extend prior research in compensation design, ethical leadership, and organizational justice. The study highlights the importance of leadership behavior, adaptation, and evaluation systems in shaping ethical climates. By embedding ethical principles into compensation design, organizations can simultaneously reduce misconduct and enhance employee trust, accountability, and performance.
Remuneration in health care is a contested topic, with various pay systems rewarding equal services unequally. This study investigates the motives of 17 panel doctors in Austria and identifies dysfunctionalities in remuneration systems that do not guarantee optimal, outcome-oriented treatment. Using Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation (1964), we analyse the behavioural motivation of doctors, considering both individual and environmental factors. We identify four types of panel doctors – profit maximisers, prestige seekers, altruists and system-compliant types – and explore how remuneration impacts their choices and outcome expectations. Our findings show that doctors’ motivations, shaped by their goals (e.g., quality assurance or leisure time), affect their performance. Regional context factors further inform the design of an outcome-oriented pay system. The study concludes with practical implications for health service providers and highlights future research directions.
This paper explores distinguishing characteristics related to CEO traits and the design of CEO compensation in firms where total CEO compensation levels are well-aligned with shareholder returns. It utilizes a hand-collected dataset drawn from STOXX Europe 600 firms. Adopting an exploratory, industry-relative approach, the analysis compares CEO compensation rankings with total shareholder return (TSR) rankings across companies within the same industry. Firms are grouped based on the degree of consistency between granted CEO compensation and shareholder returns. The study identifies distinguishing characteristics of firms where CEO compensation is strongly aligned with shareholder returns. These firms feature shorter-tenured and externally appointed CEOs, a more limited proportion of long-term incentives, and more targeted use of ESG criteria, with climate metrics more often linked to short-term incentives and workforce-related goals tied to long-term incentives.
