Nonmonetary Incentives and the Implications of Work as a Source of Meaning (aeaweb.org)

From a research paper [PDF]: Many workers care about more than financial compensation in their job. Nonmonetary incentives often matter, too. A firm's mission and the design of one's job can create meaning and purpose for employees. As a result, firms will have reason to care about meaning of work. We believe economists can usefully contribute to the debate about the implications of meaningful work. We are not arguing that financial compensation is unimportant. Lazear (in this volume) provides an excel- lent review of monetary incentives in certain organizations. But we believe that in order to manage modern organizations and understand the future of work, studying workers' nonmonetary motives will be crucial.

Comments

I don't think this has much meaning

[rsilvergun]

outside the top 10-15% of jobs. I mean, we have nurses striking because their pay is too low, something I don't think I've seen in 30+ years.

This would be an interesting conversation if we had single payer healthcare. More so if we had basic income. In other words if all or a majority of people had their basic needs met. But in a country where 45,000 people die every year and overtime pay isn't guaranteed anymore this comes off as a bunch of managers trying to figure out how they get can 80 hours of value for 40 hours pay.

Re:Jobs are the only remaining social structures.

[lucasnate1]

I can well exist without social structures

This, this is our century's crazy illusion, just like "the earth is flat" of the past. A man connected to the internet, who lives in a society of millions who provide him with utilities every day, says that he can exist without social structures. Dude, I am sure that there are people who can exist without social structures. Let me give you a hint, they don't comment on slashdot.

Re:This is bullshit

[110010001000]

That sounds horrible. I would quit a job like that. I want vacation with family and friends with my bonus, not vacation with co-workers.

I encourage calls, prefer them

[raymorris]

This is an example of different people having different values and preferences. I very much encourage my co-workers to call me, for a number of reasons.

At my job, we each have our own area of expertise and responsibility. Especially with my 20 years of both experience and constant study, there are certain things which are very much in my domain and either I care very much how it's done, or I have significantly more knowledge or experience about a certain thing (such as about code that I wrote).

I very much value efficiency, getting a good value, more bang for the buck. Therefore it bugs me when I find out that someone spent 8 hours trying to figure out something I could have told them in four minutes. I'd much rather answer their call - I'm probably driving (Bluetooth) or sitting at some social gathering I don't care about anyway, so their call is a welcome break from the boredom. It's just far more efficient to ask me, sometimes.

Other times, I've come back from being gone, or just from concentrating on other work, and found that a co-worker has made a big mess which could have been avoided with a five-minute conversation, because they were stretching too far outside their limits*.

Sometimes I have to clean up their mess. Other times the situation doesn't allow me to clean it up, so I have to live with their mess. I'd rather take the phone call.

I'm ALSO able to say "I'm a bit busy right now, but I can call you back in two hours", or even "I'm going to have to work with you on that when I get back to the office. There are some traps there that might bite you, so it might be a good idea to wait."

I can totally understand people not wanting you be disturbed though!

* In my experience there is a "right" amount of stretching one's abilities. Just like with physical fitness, fitness experts tell us to stretch our muscles, but don't stretch so far that it hurts - pain indicates damage. I'm not saying people should never do more than they've done before. Studies in education indicate learning happens when people go just a little beyond what they know well - not when they are in deep over their head.