The role of teacher compensation in school performance is something of interest globally to governments, teachers, and parents alike. A study in the UK examined this relationship in the context of the English school system. Findings of the study indicated that there is a relationship between teachers’ compensation and school performance, such that compensation paid below market rate adversely affects school performance.
Key Topics: Teacher compensation; School performance
Effectively managing new product development is critical to many businesses. A recent study examined the Spanish manufacturing sector for the combined effects of process based rewards and process controls on new product performance and job satisfaction. Results found that both process-based rewards and process controls can have either positive or negative effects depending on the performance considered. Process-based rewards were found to have a positive effect on adherence to budget, adherence to schedule, and team’s job satisfaction, while having a negative effect on new product quality.
Key Topics: New product development; Process-based rewards; Job satisfaction
Globally, longer working hours are becoming more typical and accepted, but what is the cost? A study of South Korean workers examined the role of long working hours and low salaries in public sector employees’ well-being characteristics, such as job satisfaction and life satisfaction. Study results found that long working hours were not related to employee wellness, while salary was found to be related to wellbeing, with those on higher salaries displaying greater well-being.
Key Topics: Job satisfaction; Well-being; Low salary; Long working hours
Some degree of conflict within groups is often unavoidable, and can in fact have positive outcomes, but it can also lead to debilitating effects on group performance. A US study examined the effects of conflict on the effort levels of individuals and how incentives can overcome the negative effects of conflict. The researchers looked specifically at faultline conflict, which is conflict induced from dividing lines between group members. Results found that team members reduce their effort when they perceive faultline related conflict, while incentives moderated this effect of conflict on effort. Under these circumstances, team incentives were found to have a greater effect on performance than individual incentives.
Key Topics: Conflict; Incentives; Group decision making; Effort; Faultlines
Absenteeism has been shown to have numerous negative financial and non-financial implications, but what are the causes? A recent study looked at the relationship between salary dispersion and absenteeism in the workplace, through the study of Belgian private sector companies. The results of this study indicated that there is a relationship between salary dispersion in a company and the sickness absenteeism within that company, with higher dispersion leading to higher absenteeism. The researchers also found that the size of the influence of salary dispersion on absenteeism was greater in companies with a greater proportion of blue-collar workers.
Key Topics: Pay for performance; Absenteeism; Wage dispersion |