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[–] 14 points 8 months ago* (1 child)

I don't get it. Are there any sources for this?

Are you saying the more people get paid the less work they do? This doesn't make sense to me. This sounds like a management and hiring issue. If someone doesn't want to work, you replace them with someone who does. Don't hire lazy fucks, hire competent people.

If I had a job that pays say 1 million a year, and I know I won't be able to get paid nowhere near as much at another company, I would make sure I work hard enough not lose that amazingly paid job, because otherwise I will have to work for half that and give up my rich lifestyle.

Again, a management issue for letting employees become zombies and a hiring issue for hiring lazy bums.

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  • [–] -3 points 8 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 9 points 8 months ago

    The research is mostly about overpaying, not high but equal pay for everyone doing the same job. It happens when people compare their effort to others' and if they feel over-rewarded it can actually lead to two outcomes:

    • Increasing effort to justify it, or
    • reducing effort

    And the evidence is actually mixed between the two outcomes, because different people respond differently to different incentives, like flexibility, holidays, etc.

    Equity theory mostly applies only when the work is measurable and the teams/individuals compare themselves constantly.

    IMO this can be solved by better management and equal pay for equal work/skillset.

    There are also other incentives that can crowd out internal motivation, such as surveillance, pressure, inequality. But obviously management doesn't want to talk about those, much more profitable to reduce the pay.

    High pay alone doesn't really trigger crowding out.

    I still maintain my position that this is largely a management and greed issue. And high and equal pay alone doesn't create a lazy, zombie workforce.

    Here's some studies and theories arguing the opposite:

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33705159/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficiency_wage

    https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/275/pdfs/efficiency-wages-variants-and-implications.pdf

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