Compensation or Right: An Analysis of Employee “Fringe” Benefit Perception

Past research suggests that employee perceptions of the benefits provided to them by their organization can influence employee attitudes. Three factors that appear to influence the perception of benefits by employees are benefit satisfaction, benefit importance, and the perceived motive of the organization in providing the benefit to employees. However, it also appears that some benefits are perceived as rights that are owed to employees by the organization. This study proposes and tests a model of benefit perception that incorporates all of these factors. Results suggest that benefit satisfaction and the perceived motive of the organization in providing a benefit both have a direct relationship with employee attitudes. The perceived right status of a benefit appears to moderate this relationship.     

The impact on the cultural diversity to employees' job satisfaction between mainland China and Taiwan: a comparison of Taiwanese invested companies

This study explores how the Chinese values (Integrations, Confucian Work Dynamism, Human-heartedness and Moral Discipline) impact employees' satisfaction (ES). Employees who work in mainland China for companies whose parent companies are based in Taiwan were surveyed. The results can be summarized as the following: ‘Integration’, ‘Confucian Work Dynamism’ and ‘Human-heartedness’ are significantly different between Taiwanese and Chinese employees, while ‘Moral discipline’ is not; Taiwanese employees have higher ES than Chinese employees; Taiwanese employees view ‘career planning’ is the most important, while Chinese employees think ‘management system’ is most important; For Taiwanese employees, ‘Salary and benefit’, ‘Working load’ and ‘Management system’ have effects on ES; Age and Education have effects on Chinese employees.     

Employees are satisfied with their benefits,but so what? The consequences of benefit satisfaction on employees’ organizational commitment and turnover intentions

Firms are increasing their efforts to offer benefits that satisfy their employees. However, the attitudinal and behavioral consequences of such satisfaction remain unclear. This article draws on the social exchange perspective and organizational support theory to examine the consequences of three dimensions of employees’ benefit satisfaction on organizational commitment and turnover intention, by considering the mediating effect of perceived organizational support (POS). A hypothesized model is developed and tested using partial least squares analysis on a sample of 870 employees working in Spanish firms. The results show that three dimensions of benefit satisfaction contribute to the development of POS, and that POS mediates their effects on organizational commitment. However, only benefit determination and benefit administration satisfaction have an effect on turnover intention, through the mediation of POS and organizational commitment.     

The importance of fit between individual values and organisational culture in the greening of industry

Individual and societal values with respect to environmental protection have been shown to have grown significantly in the past decade and can be expected to continue to grow. As a result, companies that do not materially adopt environmental values into their corporate value systems will find their culture to be incongruent with the personal values of their employees. Under such circumstances, these employees will face the choice of three sub-optimal options: (1) dissatisfied compliance with the corporate values; (2) resolution to change the corporate values; or (3) resignation from the organization. Those companies that are able to achieve a congruent fit between individual and organizational values will benefit from higher worker satisfaction, longer tenure and greater loyalty.     

Income Level and the Value of Non-Wage Employee Benefits

With continuing increases in the cost of medical insurance and other “fringe” benefits, payroll cost for monetary and non-monetary aspects of compensation is a significant factor for most organizations. While this is not a new phenomenon, relatively few studies in the empirical literature have examined the role of fringe benefits in employee compensation plans. Especially in under researched areas, it is imperative that researchers utilize ideas and theories from other disciplines to further our knowledge. Accordingly, this paper borrows the concept of elasticity from the economic literature to help explain and understand employee perceptions of two of the most common, costly, and important benefits—medical insurance and retirement plans. Specifically, the relationship between the current income of employees is analyzed in relation to employee perceptions of the value and importance of benefits. Results suggest that employees do not value medical insurance and retirement plans in the same manner. This result is interpreted in terms of the change in the marginal utility of the specific benefit.     

Predicting employee commitment and satisfaction: the relative effects of socialization and demographics

This study compared the relative influences of organizational socialization and demographic variables on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Organizational variables were assessed by asking 193 Chinese employees in Hong Kong to evaluate socialization within their companies, namely: (1) training received; (2) understanding of the organization; (3) co-worker support; and (4) future prospects within their companies. Dependent variables were standard measures of (affective, continuance and normative) commitment and of satisfaction (with co-workers, pay, promotion, supervisors and the work). Results revealed higher correlations between the socialization measures and job satisfaction and commitment than between the demographic measures and the dependent variables. Although a few demographic measures had some predictive power, the regression analyses confirmed that the socialization variables were consistently stronger predictors of both satisfaction and commitment. Strategic implications for human resource management are discussed.     

Intention to stay in Chinese foreign-invested companies: previous experiences,initial expectations and current satisfactions

The problem of retention of professional employees has become a prime challenge for foreign-invested companies in China. The present paper aims to examine the predictors of intention to stay of local Chinese white-collar employees in foreign-invested companies with a multi-dimensional approach. Through the examination and comparison of models incorporating previous experiences, initial expectations and current satisfactions, the results of this study indicate that while current intrinsic and contextual satisfaction might contribute to improving the intended stay period, current extrinsic satisfaction might not be as critical as expected. Furthermore, for individuals with voluntary turnover experiences, cumulative extrinsic and contextual satisfaction gaps (gaps between satisfaction with previous and present workplaces) might explain a higher degree of intention to stay. Aligned with the result that the number of overall voluntary turnover times is negatively related with the intended stay period, this study implies that future studies should further explore the possible influences of previous experiences on how an individual would like to maintain their employment relationship with their present company.     

Pay knowledge,pay satisfaction and employee commitment: evidence from Finnish profit‐sharing schemes

Knowledge of the pay system has been identified as one of the key elements affecting the success of the reward system. In this paper, the aim is to study how communication, performance feedback and membership length are related to profit‐sharing knowledge, and how profit‐sharing knowledge is related to profit‐sharing satisfaction and organisational commitment. The data is collected from Finnish personnel funds, which are deferred profit‐sharing schemes. Survey data from over 753 employees in 30 companies in different sectors were used. In studying the antecedents of profit‐sharing knowledge, we found strong evidence that better profit‐sharing communication and higher membership length increase profit‐sharing knowledge. Furthermore, we find strong evidence that the relationship from profit‐sharing knowledge to commitment is mediated by profit‐sharing satisfaction. We discuss the implications for management.     

Change and continuity in Japanese compensation practices: the case of occupational pensions since the early 2000s

This article analyses changes in the provision of Japanese occupational pensions since the early 2000s. It shows how Japanese companies have followed strategies of cost and risk reduction by creating multi-layered benefit systems that offer a combination of defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) plans whose benefits are becoming increasingly performance-oriented. Analysing the reasons behind the resilience of DB schemes in Japan, the article concludes that enterprise union behaviour has had less influence than regulatory issues and continued corporate commitment to long-standing employment practices for regular workers. These findings highlight the embeddedness of Japanese employment practices in their institutional context.     

Employee perceptions of corporate partnership: An affective-moral quid pro quo

An affective-moral quid pro quo model provided the framework to test the relationship between worker satisfaction, perceptions of employees' citizenship behavior, and corporate commitment to moral-ethical ideals. A total of 198 full-time employees from a wide variety of work settings anonymously completed questionnaires. More than half of the respondents held management or supervisory positions; the number of males and females was nearly equal. Participants who indicated high satisfaction with work, promotions, and co-workers, and who viewed employees in their work setting as altruistic, perceived their organization as committed to employee welfare, employee rights, product quality, and as good corporate citizens.     

高校合并后组织认同的影响因素研究

本文对高校合并后教职员工的组织认同进行了研究。研究从合并效用和合并沟通角度出发,通过对合并方教职员工对合并收益和社会账户的知觉满意度的测量,探索合并后组织认同的影响因素。通过对119名教职员工的调研发现：社会账户中的原因解释账户以及对合并收益中组织声誉的满意度会显著影响合并后的组织认同。     

Fine‐tuning what we know about employees' experience with flexible work arrangements and their job attitudes

Prior research has generally found positive relationships between flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and employee attitudes. However, we know relatively little about organizational contingencies that affect the strength of these relationships, as there is little multilevel, multicompany research on FWAs. This study explores three aspects of employees' experience with FWAs—perceived availability of the number of FWAs, different types of FWAs, and actual use of FWAs—and their corresponding effects on employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Using a large multicompany data set (1,799 companies, 17,895 workers), we found that employees who perceive more FWAs available to them have higher job satisfaction and organizational commitment, especially in organizations that report offering fewer formal FWA policies. Among different types of FWAs, perceived availability of flexible scheduling is more positively associated with job satisfaction than flexible location and hours, and both flexible scheduling and location are more positively associated with organizational commitment than flexible number of hours. We also found that employees who actually use flexible scheduling have lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment than those who have it available but do not use it. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Understanding Business Improvement District formation: An analysis of neighborhoods and boundaries

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) provide supplemental services to urban commercial corridors using funds from member assessments. They have become a very popular urban revitalization tool, but their formation is still largely unexplained. Theory implies that BIDs will form if they add to aggregate welfare and if the marginal net benefit of membership is positive. I test this for the neighborhood overall and at the BID boundary. Using unique, micro-level and longitudinal data from New York City, I employ survival analysis methods to estimate the likelihood of a neighborhood forming a BID. I then estimate the likelihood of the marginal property’s BID membership by comparing the characteristics of properties located immediately inside and outside of the BID boundaries. I find that BIDs are more likely to form when there is more commercial space over which the BID benefits can be capitalized and when there is homogeneity in service and spending preferences across properties. BIDs also tend to form in neighborhoods that possess signs of appreciation and growth. Generally, BIDs are more likely to form in neighborhoods with higher valued properties with the exception of very wealthy areas. The BID boundary, however, is comprised of relatively less valuable properties.     

Gaps between managers' and employees' perceptions of work–life balance

Research on work–life balance (WLB) practices has increased in recent years. Academics affirm that the implementation of WLB practices helps to achieve better organizational results and improve employee outcomes such as higher satisfaction and commitment, and reduce turnover intentions. However, some authors have argued that there are differences between the availability of WLB practices in companies and employees' perceptions of access to such practices. The literature on the differences in perceptions between managers and employees in relation to WLB and its effects is sparse. Using two samples of 229 managers and 511 employees from the same firms, we in this paper contribute to our knowledge of the existence of the perception gaps between managers and employees and their influence on the take-up of WLB. Implications for academics and practitioners are discussed.     

A new contract for welfare: partnership in pensions

The government's Green Paper proposes reducing state pension costs whilst encouraging private sector provision. The success of the proposed ‘stakeholder pension schemes’ depends on regulation. However, regulation can penalise those it is intended to protect. This is a sensitive issue, since stakeholder pension schemes are expected to attract financially vulnerable, lower paid, employees. Whilst the flat rate accrual of the state second pension confers some benefit, certain groups are put in a difficult position by the retention of means-tested benefits.     

Multidimensional configurations of the organizational climate construct

This study describes the creation and validation of a multidimensional model which assesses the level of employee satisfaction based on international theoretical models. It utilizes data collected from a sample of 518 public and private company employees during the year 2009 in the city/state of São Paulo, Brazil. In the first stage of the study, 15 independent dimensions were theoretically obtained. In the second stage, five different multiple dimensions were confirmed using structure equation modeling (SEM) technique, thus characterizing general configurations of the organizational climate construct denominated motivation, management philosophy, leadership, people management and nature of work. It is hoped that the model can contribute by enhancing managerial best practices of an organization by attending a major demand for those listed on stock markets, since these companies must periodically provide information on job satisfaction of their employees to maintain or achieve higher levels of corporate governance.     

民营企业CSR战略行为——基于员工权益责任视角的多案例研究

近年来,民营企业的企业社会责任(CSR)备受关注。本文以员工权益责任为视角,采用多案例研究的方法,选取5家民营企业为研究对象,考察了其成长过程中各阶段的CSR行为,构建了民营企业CSR战略行为理论模型。研究发现,影响企业CSR战略行为最关键的因素是企业在价值链中的位置,其次是企业家的个人价值取向。企业只有进行较高的市场定位才能具备较强的CSR能力,才有可能善待员工,随之带来企业高成长率、员工低流动率等战略绩效,这些绩效的获得又为企业进行更高层次的市场定位创造条件,进一步增强其履行CSR的能力。     

Accommodating Employees With and Without Disabilities

Efforts to recruit and retain employees with disabilities are often tempered by employers’ concerns over potential workplace accommodation costs. This study reports on accommodations requested and granted in intensive case studies of eight companies, based on more than 5,000 employee and manager surveys, and interviews and focus groups with 128 managers and employees with disabilities. Two unique contributions are that we analyze accommodations for employees without disabilities as well as for those with disabilities, and compare perspectives on accommodation costs and benefits among employees, their coworkers, and their managers. We find people with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to request accommodations, but the types of accommodations requested and the reported costs and benefits are similar for disability and non‐disability accommodations. In particular, fears of high accommodation costs and negative reactions of coworkers are not realized; all groups tend to report generally positive coworker reactions. Multilevel models indicate granting accommodations has positive spillover effects on attitudes of coworkers, as well as a positive effect on attitudes of requesting employees, but only when coworkers are supportive. Consistent with recent theorizing and other studies, our results suggest the benefits from a corporate culture of flexibility and attention to the individualized needs of employees. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effective Japanese leadership in China: co-operative goals and applying abilities for mutual benefit

In the global marketplace, managers and employees must work together even though they may have suspicions based on their different countries' historical rivalry. Social psychological research suggests that co-operative goals and applying abilities for mutual benefit can strengthen the leader relationship between Japanese managers and their Chinese employees. Working in Japanese enterprises in Shanghai, China, 100 employees in private Japanese companies in China indicated their goal interdependence with their Japanese and Chinese managers, their applying abilities for mutual benefit and their conclusions that their manager had valuable abilities and was an effective leader. Structural equation analysis suggested that applying abilities for mutual benefit mediates the relationship between goal interdependence and leader resourcefulness and effectiveness, especially when the manager is Chinese and less so when their manager is Japanese. These results, coupled with previous research, were interpreted as suggesting that co-operative goals and applying abilities for mutual benefit contribute to effective leadership even when managers and employees have different nationalities.     

Work life balance and the retention of managers in Spanish SMEs

Executives in today's business world are increasingly conscious that the competitive advantage of companies rests upon the retention of their key employees. According to the literature, dissatisfaction with the job is an important determinant of turnover rates and work life balance (WLB) initiatives are today considered to be an important antecedent of job satisfaction. This study explores these relationships in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), where a number of academics have suggested that research is necessary. This paper presents an empirical research study with a sample of 149 managers of Spanish SMEs. The findings show that the existence of a WLB culture rather than the availability of WLB practices offered by the company is the main determinant of job satisfaction. There is also strong evidence that job satisfaction is a good predictor of turnover intentions. Based on the findings, the paper argues that informal support for WLB, expressed through the existence of positive and supportive organizational values for WLB, plays a major role in enhancing organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction among managers and their retention in SMEs. The implications for practitioners and academics are also discussed.