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Worker Attitudes Towards Employee Ownership, Profit Sharing and Variable Pay

Author

Listed:
  • Fidan Ana Kurtulus

    (University of Massachusetts Amherst)

  • Douglas Kruse

    (Rutgers University)

  • Joseph Blasi

    (Rutgers University)

Abstract

Using the NBER Shared Capitalism Database comprised of over 40,000 employee surveys from 14 firms, we investigate worker attitudes towards employee ownership, profit sharing, and variable pay. Specifically, our study uses detailed survey questions on preferences over profit sharing, forms of employee ownership like company stock and stock option ownership, as well as preferences over variable pay in general, to explore how preferences for these different types of output-contingent pay vary with worker risk aversion, residual control, and views of co-workers and management. Our key results show that, on average, workers want at least a part of their compensation to be performance-related, with stronger preferences for output-contingent pay schemes among workers who have lower levels of risk aversion, greater residual control over the work process, and greater trust of co-workers and management JEL Categories: J54, J33, M52

Suggested Citation

  • Fidan Ana Kurtulus & Douglas Kruse & Joseph Blasi, 2011. "Worker Attitudes Towards Employee Ownership, Profit Sharing and Variable Pay," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2011-15, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ums:papers:2011-15
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Rahma Daly & Marc-Arthur Diaye & Jean-Max Koskievic, 2014. "Workers’ Risk Attitude and Financial Participation," Documents de recherche 14-03, Centre d'Études des Politiques Économiques (EPEE), Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne.
    2. Uwe Jirjahn, 2018. "The adoption and termination of profit sharing for employees: does management’s attitude play a role?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 108-127, January.
    3. Brown, Sarah & Gray, Daniel & McHardy, Jolian & Taylor, Karl, 2015. "Employee trust and workplace performance," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 361-378.
    4. Andrzej Baranski, 2016. "Voluntary Contributions and Collective Redistribution," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(4), pages 149-173, November.
    5. Ilija Coric & Katija Vojvodic, 2018. "Variable Pay 2.0: Transforming The Post-Transitional Context In Warehouse Logistics," Business Logistics in Modern Management, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics, Croatia, vol. 18, pages 109-123.
    6. Ilija Coric & Katija Vojvodic, 2015. "Variable Pay: A Case Study In Warehouse Logistics," Business Logistics in Modern Management, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics, Croatia, vol. 15, pages 189-200.
    7. Kyoung Yong Kim & Pankaj C. Patel, 2020. "Broad‐Based Employee Ownership and Labour Productivity During the 2008 Recession: Evidence from Public Firms in Europe," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(2), pages 396-423, June.
    8. Uwe Jirjahn, 2016. "Works Councils and Employer Attitudes toward the Incentive Effects of HRM Practices," Research Papers in Economics 2016-07, University of Trier, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Employee Ownership; Profit Sharing; Variable Pay; Worker Preferences; Residual Control; Risk Aversion; Perceptions of Co-Workers and Management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J54 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Producer Cooperatives; Labor Managed Firms
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects

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