IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/cfrwps/330666.html

ESG metrics in executive compensation: A multitasking approach

Author

Listed:
  • Agarwal, Vikas
  • Gómez, Juan-Pedro
  • Hosseini, Kasra
  • Jha, Manish

Abstract

We model firm executives' compensation incentives when ESG metrics are added to their performance-vested contracts. Drawing on multitasking theory, we predict that incentives tied to standard accounting or financial metrics are reduced after introducing ESG metrics to induce executives to reallocate effort toward ESG goals. Empirically, the expected pay-performance sensitivity of standard metrics decreases by about 20% after ESG adoption, especially when ESG metrics are more numerous, less complementary, or less measurable. The tradeoff is associated with improved ESG ratings, consistent with efficient incentive design under multitasking that optimally balances effort across financial and ESG objectives.

Suggested Citation

  • Agarwal, Vikas & Gómez, Juan-Pedro & Hosseini, Kasra & Jha, Manish, 2025. "ESG metrics in executive compensation: A multitasking approach," CFR Working Papers 25-10, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cfrwps:330666
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/330666/1/1940317118.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Samuel M. Hartzmark & Abigail B. Sussman, 2019. "Do Investors Value Sustainability? A Natural Experiment Examining Ranking and Fund Flows," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 74(6), pages 2789-2837, December.
    2. Arno Riedl & Paul Smeets, 2017. "Why Do Investors Hold Socially Responsible Mutual Funds?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(6), pages 2505-2550, December.
    3. Caroline Flammer & Bryan Hong & Dylan Minor, 2019. "Corporate governance and the rise of integrating corporate social responsibility criteria in executive compensation: Effectiveness and implications for firm outcomes," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(7), pages 1097-1122, July.
    4. Hart, Oliver & Zingales, Luigi, 2017. "Companies Should Maximize Shareholder Welfare Not Market Value," Journal of Law, Finance, and Accounting, now publishers, vol. 2(2), pages 247-275, November.
    5. Brian J. Hall & Jeffrey B. Liebman, 1998. "Are CEOs Really Paid Like Bureaucrats?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(3), pages 653-691.
    6. Rajan, Raghuram G. & Ramella, Pietro & Zingales, Luigi, 2022. "What Purpose Do Corporations Purport? Evidence from Letters to Shareholders," Working Papers 314, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    7. Holmstrom, Bengt & Milgrom, Paul, 1991. "Multitask Principal-Agent Analyses: Incentive Contracts, Asset Ownership, and Job Design," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 7(0), pages 24-52, Special I.
    8. Gormley, Todd A. & Matsa, David A. & Milbourn, Todd, 2013. "CEO compensation and corporate risk: Evidence from a natural experiment," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 79-101.
    9. John Core & Wayne Guay, 2002. "Estimating the Value of Employee Stock Option Portfolios and Their Sensitivities to Price and Volatility," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 613-630, June.
    10. Larcker, David F., 1983. "The association between performance plan adoption and corporate capital investment," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 3-30, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Romec, Arthur, 2023. "Stakeholder orientation and managerial incentives: Evidence from a natural experiment," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    2. Ole-Andreas Elvik Næss, 2026. "Owner Support for Green Shareholder Voting and Divestment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 72(5), pages 3629-3649, May.
    3. Eleonora Broccardo & Oliver D. Hart & Luigi Zingales, 2020. "Exit vs. Voice," Working Papers 2020-114, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    4. Barber, Brad M. & Morse, Adair & Yasuda, Ayako, 2021. "Impact investing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(1), pages 162-185.
    5. Keusch, Thomas & Timmermans, Oscar, 2026. "Can financial metrics provide incentives for environmental performance improvement?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 139003, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Yoon K. Choi, 2020. "Does executive compensation reflect corporate productivity?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(7-8), pages 1012-1033, July.
    7. Guay, Wayne & Kim, Chongho & Timmermans, Oscar, 2026. "Internal information quality and performance metric selection," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 138070, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Cohen, Shira & Kadach, Igor & Ormazabal, Gaizka & Reichelstein, Stefan, 2022. "Executive compensation tied to ESG performance: International evidence," ZEW Discussion Papers 22-051, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    9. Hong, Jieying, 2019. "Managerial compensation incentives and corporate debt maturity: Evidence from FAS 123R," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 388-414.
    10. repec:oup:rfinst:v:21:y:2017:i:5:p:1805-1846. is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Tomasz Obloj & Metin Sengul, 2020. "What do multiple objectives really mean for performance? Empirical evidence from the French manufacturing sector," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(13), pages 2518-2547, December.
    12. Shira Cohen & Igor Kadach & Gaizka Ormazabal & Stefan Reichelstein, 2023. "Executive Compensation Tied to ESG Performance: International Evidence," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 61(3), pages 805-853, June.
    13. Lestari, Jenjang Sri & Frömmel, Michael, 2024. "Socially responsible investments: doing good while doing well in developed versus emerging markets?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    14. Bonnefon, Jean-François & Landier, Augustin & Sastry, Parinitha & Thesmar, David, 2025. "The moral preferences of investors: Experimental evidence," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    15. Giovanni-Battista Derchi & Laura Zoni & Andrea Dossi, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility Performance, Incentives, and Learning Effects," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(3), pages 617-641, October.
    16. Zwetelina Iliewa & Elisabeth Kempf & Oliver Spalt, 2025. "Corporate Actions as Moral Issues," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2025_649v2, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany, revised Apr 2025.
    17. Dangl, Thomas & Halling, Michael & Yu, Jin & Zechner, Josef, 2025. "Social preferences and corporate investment," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    18. Doron Levit & Nadya Malenko & Ernst Maug, 2024. "Trading and Shareholder Democracy," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 79(1), pages 257-304, February.
    19. Heeb, Florian & Kölbel, Julian & Ramelli, Stefano & Vasileva, Anna, 2024. "Green investing and political behavior," SAFE Working Paper Series 438, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    20. Carola Frydman & Dirk Jenter, 2010. "CEO Compensation," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 2(1), pages 75-102, December.
    21. Colonnello, Stefano, 2020. "Executive compensation, macroeconomic conditions, and cash flow cyclicality," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:cfrwps:330666. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cfkoede.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.