Salary Recommendations Research Articles

Weighing interest relative to performance in hiring decisions: Important but free?

AbstractStudents considering career options are often advised to identify their interests. Yet how much do people weigh the importance of interest when making hiring decisions, particularly as compared to performance? In two preregistered studies we examined how samples of US adults in the workforce weighed interest and performance when making hiring decisions about a hypothetical job candidate. Participants (total N = 740) were told that the candidate was applying for a position where they had previously interned, and were presented an ostensible Intern Evaluation Form in which he interest and performance ratings were independently varied to be below or above average. Participants then indicated their job offer and starting salary recommendations. Across two domains (Marketing and Sales, Study 1; Software Development, Study 2), participants weighed interest and performance equally in job offer recommendations, but weighed performance more in salary recommendations. Thus, job candidates who demonstrated higher interest but below average performance had an equal chance of receiving a job offer as candidates who demonstrated above average performance but lower interest. However, the former group would be offered a lower starting salary. Exploratory analyses examined participants' inferences about the candidate's future motivation and performance as potential explanations. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Rater Attributions of Malfunctions in Videoconference Interviews

AbstractVirtual interviews have become ubiquitous, yet research on the psychological effects of their technological characteristics remains sparse. Many practitioners caution that malfunctions that commonly occur during interviews may negatively influence interviewers’ perceptions of an applicant. This concern is heightened for some groups of applicants, particularly those of certain age groups. Age stereotypes characterize older adults as technologically inept, and per the similarity effect, the dual ages of an applicant and an interviewer likely influence an interviewer’s attributions of a technology malfunction. We explored these propositions by investigating the effects that one such malfunction, an echo, has on raters. This experiment used a 2 (younger applicant vs. older applicant) × 2 (younger rater vs. older rater) × 3 (no echo vs. minor echo vs. severe echo) between-subject design to test hypotheses. Results showed that raters generally made situational attributions of malfunctions. Raters blamed the echo on older applicants slightly more than younger applicants, but attributions did not predict perceptions of interview performance, decisions to hire, or salary recommendations. Malfunctions and age similarity were generally not related to hiring outcomes. These findings advance theories surrounding attributions and age biases while offering no clear evidence that specific age groups are at a disadvantage in virtual interviews.

Are lighter-skinned Tanisha and Jamal worth more pay? White people’s gendered colorism toward Black job applicants with racialized names

ABSTRACT Though race is complex in lived experience, studies of anti-Black prejudice and discrimination in the United States often elide this complexity by operationalizing “Black” using one racial marker. We consider how three intersecting markers – skin colour, names, and gender – predict white people’s anti-Black prejudice. Using two experiments where white participants evaluated fictitious job applicants, we randomly manipulated the applicant’s name (distinctly Black or indistinctly Black) and race/skin colour (white, lighter-skinned Black, medium-skinned Black, or darker-skinned Black). We predicted that when women and men targets had distinctly Black names or darker skin, they would be rated more negatively. Results suggest gendered colorism via salary recommendations, where participants offered a darker-skinned man with a distinctly Black name less salary. However, a darker-skinned woman with a distinctly Black name was offered more salary. We argue that anti-Black prejudice may take on nuanced and gendered forms in the twenty-first century.

Visible Tattoos as a Source of Employment Discrimination Among Female Applicants for a Supervisory Position

Although tattoos have increased in popularity, they may put individuals at a disadvantage when seeking employment. Drawing on the justification-suppression model and the stereotype content model, we propose that job applicants with visible tattoos experience prejudice in hiring and starting salary recommendations because they are stereotyped as less competent and warm than those without visible tattoos. In Study 1, we compared equally qualified Caucasian female applicants in their mid to late 20s with no visible tattoos, a mild visible tattoo, and extreme visible tattoos for the position of a sales manager. Tattooed applicants were less likely to be hired, especially if they had extreme visible tattoos, and were offered lower salaries and rated lower on competence (but not warmth) than applicants without visible tattoos. Furthermore, competence mediated the relationship between visible tattoos and hiring and salary recommendations. In Study 2, we examined if young Caucasian female applicants with visible tattoos can overcome prejudice through their job qualifications and found they were able to mitigate salary discrimination, but not hiring discrimination by being highly qualified. In Study 3, we proposed that young Caucasian female applicants with visible tattoos can neutralize discrimination by being highly qualified and having volunteer experience. However, volunteering did not mitigate prejudice related to visible tattoos. Our findings suggest that it is difficult for applicants with visible tattoos to overcome discrimination.

Professional entry into equine medicine

In the present study phone interviews on working hours, salary, professional satisfaction and other topics were carried out with 30 equine veterinarians. None of the participants had more than five years of work experience. The gross annual wages ranged from CHF 36'400 to CHF 91'500. The study participants worked 42 to 93hours per week. Only 13% were moderately satisfied with the job, the remaining participants were satisfied to highly satisfied. Sixty percent of the study participants were dissatisfied with their wages and wished to be paid according to the Swiss Veterinary Association (GST) salary recommendations. Five out of 27 wages were within the recommended ranges. The lowest wages were paid at the universities. Sixteen people worked more than the legal maximum of 50 hours a week. A big difference in total working hours per week existed. Especially since part-time workers had more working hours than participants in a full-time job. The study reflects the situation before 2018 and especially at the universities, before the introduction of a new employment contracts with a 50h week, wage adjustments and defined times for further training.

Does Gender Minority Professional Experience Impact Employment Discrimination? Two Résumé Experiments

We sought to examine perceived gender identity, perceived co-worker discomfort, and salary recommendations for youth counselors with transgender-related work experience. In two experiments conducted in 2016 and 2017, we randomized participants to view 1 of 2 résumés with varying work experience at a camp for transgender youth or a generic youth camp. Study 1 participants were 274 adult festivalgoers at a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride festival. Study 2 participants were 296 employed, heterosexual adults aged 35-60 from an online survey panel. In Study 1, viewing the résumé with transgender experience resulted in a statistically significantly higher likelihood of reporting the applicant was gender minority than cisgender (adjusted odds ratio = 3.76, 95% confidence interval [1.32, 10.72], p = .01), higher but not a statistically significant level of co-worker discomfort (aOR = 1.39, 95% CI [0.83, 2.32], p = .22), and, although not statistically significant, a $2,605 higher salary (95% CI [-$604, - $5,814], p = .11). In Study 2, we found a statistically significantly greater likelihood of reporting the applicant was gender minority than cisgender (OR = 2.56, 95% CI [1.36, 4.82], p < .01), statistically significantly higher odds of reported co-worker discomfort (OR = 3.57, 95% CI [2.15, 5.92], p < .01), and, although not statistically significant, a $1,374 higher salary (95% CI [-$1,931, $4,679], p = .41). Our results indicate the potential for stigma by association for professionals working with marginalized groups and suggest potential pathways through which employment discrimination may exacerbate existing inequities for gender minority people.

Are You Man Enough to do This Job? The Impact of Applicant Gender and Sexual Orientation on Screening Decisions

Participants viewed application materials of one of four job candidates (i.e., heterosexual male or female, lesbian or gay man) for a male-typed job. Then, participants rated the applicant on agency and communality and made hiring and salary recommendations. Lesbians were perceived as more agentic (e.g., dominance, confidence) than heterosexual women and gay men. Agency was a predictor of hiring and salary outcomes. These results emphasize that agentic traits are valuable in terms of hiring and salary decisions when applying for a male-oriented position. Neither applicant sex nor sexual orientation impacted hiring or salary recommendations.

An Experimental Approach to Assessing the Perceived Value of Personal and Social Responsibility

Personal and social responsibility (PSR), one of four essential learning outcomes identified by the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) Report (AAC&U, 2007), was rated as “very” or “extremely” important by 88% of the participants in the study. To supplement the expected results from the traditional survey methods that assess the perceived value of PSR, this study provided additional experimental evidence that students were sensitive to, and highly valued, the markers of achieving PSR. Participants were randomly assigned to examine one résumé in a 3 (GPA) × 2 (PSR) design. Beyond and independent of the effect of academic achievement, PSR positively influenced hiring decisions, salary recommendations, and performance expectations.

Choice‐Based Discrimination: Labor‐Force‐Type Discrimination Against Gay Men, the Obese, and Mothers

Do perceptions of controllability and choice affect the nature and magnitude of discrimination? Many groups of people, who hold seemingly controllable devalued traits, including gay men, the obese, and mothers, are discriminated against both in the labor force and in other areas of life. In this article, I show that perceptions of choice and controllability generate discrimination against individuals with seemingly controllable stigmatized traits. I use a hiring experiment in a highly controlled setting to assess this argument. The results provide strong evidence for a causal relationship between perceptions of choice and labor‐force‐type discrimination against gay men, obese men, and mothers. When the traits were presented as voluntary, gay men, obese men, and mothers were penalized when compared to their equally qualified counterparts in terms of hiring, salary recommendations, and competence evaluations.

Choice-Based Discrimination: Labor Force Type Discrimination Against Gay Men, the Obese and Mothers

Do perceptions of controllability and choice affect the nature and magnitude of discrimination? Many groups of people, who hold seemingly controllable devalued traits, including gay men, the obese and mothers, are discriminated against both in the labor force and in other areas of life. In this paper, I show that perceptions of choice and controllability generate discrimination against individuals with seemingly controllable stigmatized traits. I use a hiring experiment in a highly controlled setting to assess this argument. The results provide strong evidence for a causal relationship between perceptions of choice and labor force type discrimination against gay men, obese men and mothers. When the traits were presented as voluntary, gay men, obese men and mothers were penalized when compared to their equally qualified counterparts in terms of hiring, salary recommendations and competence evaluations. When the traits were presented as non-voluntary, people who hold these traits were placed at an advantage compared with those who do not hold them.

Beyond Performance Evaluations...Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Outcomes

Although there is a great deal of work examining outcomes of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), the vast majority of work at the individual level has focused on the outcome of performance evaluations. Although an important outcome, it is fairly clear that OCB contributes positively to performance evaluations. In this symposium, we hope to move beyond performance evaluations and investigate new outcomes of OCB. In this proposed symposium, the set of four papers examines a diverse set of outcomes, including hiring decisions and entry salary recommendations, psychological well-being and positive affect, supervisory reward recommendations, and specific career outcomes (e.g., promotion decisions, actual reward decisions). The set of papers includes both conceptual and empirical work, as well as both field and experimental studies. In limiting the number of papers to four, we hope to stimulate new thinking on outcomes of OCB and generate discussion about additional research directions. Our discussant, Elizabeth Morrison, will lend her expertise in commenting on the set of papers.Selecting Good Soldiers Versus Avoiding Bad ApplesPresenter: Timothy D. Maynes; Indiana U.Presenter: Steven Whiting; Indiana U.Presenter: Nathan Philip Podsakoff; U. of ArizonaFrom Helping to Happy: Why Being Neurotic Isn’t So BadPresenter: Matthias Spitzmueller; National U. of SingaporePresenter: David T. Wagner; Singapore Management U.Presenter: You Jin Kim; Michigan State U.Presenter: Linn Van Dyne; Michigan State U.Presenter: Remus Ilies; National U. of SingaporeA Social Information Processing Model of Task and Contextual PerformancePresenter: Riki Takeuchi; Hong Kong U. of Science and TechnologyPresenter: Cass Shum; Hong Kong U. of Science and TechnologyPresenter: Dan S. Chiaburu; Texas A&M U.The Moderating Effect of Reward System on the Relationship Between Citizenship Behavior and OutcomesPresenter: Diane Bergeron; Case Western Reserve U.Presenter: Jaron Harvey; U. of AlabamaPresenter: Mark C. Bolino; U. of OklahomaPresenter: Anthony Klotz; U. of Oklahoma - Norman

Choice-Based Discrimination

Do perceptions of controllability and choice affect the nature and magnitude of discrimination? Many groups of people, who hold seemingly controllable devalued traits, including gay men, the obese and mothers, are discriminated against both in the labor force and in other areas of life. In this dissertation, I show that perceptions of choice and controllability generate discrimination against individuals with seemingly controllable stigmatized traits. I use a hiring experiment in a highly controlled setting to assess this argument. The results provide strong evidence for a causal relationship between perceptions of choice and labor force type discrimination against gay men, obese men and mothers. When the traits were presented as voluntary, gay men, obese men and mothers were penalized when compared to their equally qualified counterparts in terms of hiring, salary recommendations and competence evaluations. To further evaluate the argument that the degree to which motherhood is conceptualized as a choice, affects the penalties associated with making this choice, I analyze the state differences in the wage penalties for motherhood. I use hierarchical linear modeling with data from the 1988-2004 Current Population Survey. The wage analysis shows that net of the usual individual and state level factors that affect wages, mothers are penalized more in states in which motherhood is perceived to be a choice women have. Drawing on moral philosophy literature and the debate around 'luck egalitarianism', the dissertation them discusses the moral acceptability of inequalities that are based on choices. Following this discussion, two main arguments regarding the appropriateness of legal protection from choice-based discrimination are developed. First, in some cases, choice-based discrimination infringes individuals' personhood and human dignity. Second, at times, choice-based discrimination generates inequality based on socially desirable behaviors. The dissertation proceeds to evaluate the differences among seemingly controllable traits, both in terms of their centrality to one's personhood and in terms of their perceived social desirability. The prevailing civil rights laws concerning discrimination based on motherhood, sexual orientation and weight are then reviewed. The dissertation ends with criteria for determining which forms of choice-based discrimination call for legal protection.

Effects of organizational citizenship behaviors on selection decisions in employment interviews.

This article reports on an experiment examining the effects of job candidates' propensity to exhibit organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) on selection decisions made in the context of a job interview. We developed videos that manipulated candidate responses to interview questions tapping task performance and citizenship behavior content in 2 administrative positions. Results obtained from 480 undergraduates provided support for our hypotheses that job candidates who exhibited higher levels of helping, voice, and loyalty behaviors were generally rated as more competent, received higher overall evaluations, and received higher salary recommendations than job candidates who exhibited lower levels of these behaviors. These effects held even after taking into account candidate responses regarding task performance. We also found that candidate responses to OCB-related questions tended to have a greater effect on selection decisions for the higher level position (supervisor of administrative personnel) than for the lower level one (administrative assistant). Finally, content analyses of open-ended responses indicated that participants' selection decisions were particularly sensitive to candidates who exhibited low levels of voice and helping behaviors. Implications and future research are discussed.

Effects of warm white, cool white and full-spectrum fluorescent lighting on simple cognitive performance, mood and ratings of others

Fluorescent illumination has become common, but its alleged effects on behavior are still controversial. This experiment was designed to determine whether warm white, cool white, and full-spectrum fluorescent spectra at approximately equal illuminances differentially affect performance on simple verbal and quantitative tasks, salary recommendations, rated attractiveness and friendliness of others, judged room attractiveness, estimated room size, and self-reported pleasure and arousal. The results showed no significant differences among the three lighting types on any of the dependent measures. A subsequent power analysis indicated that if differences actually do exist, they are quite small. Cool white or warm white lamps are recommended because they are much less expensive than full-spectrum lamps.

THE EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL AND CONTEXTUAL ATTRIBUTES ON THE SIZES OF RECOMMENDED SALARY INCREASES

In a series of experiments, college students, line managers, and compensation managers allocated salary increases to hypothetical job holders who varied in the criticality of their positions for accomplishment of organizational goals, occupational marketability, job performance, personal need for money, and increase in capability since the last performance review. Results indicated that though performance had the largest impact, a number of nonperformance factors also influenced the recommendations. Salary recommendations were lower when constrained by a budget, and performance, growth in capabilities, marketability, and criticality were all significantly related to the magnitudes of suggested increases.

The Effects of Handicap, Sex and Competence.on Expected Performance, Hiring and Salary Recommendations

The purpose of this stud;'was to examine current trends in employer and potential employer attitudes regarding the hiring of individuals with different types of handicap. Highly or barely competent, hypothetical males and females with either paraplegia, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or no handicap were evaluated by 334 upper division industrial technology students for the position of electrical technician. No differences were found in the evaluations of job candidates based on sex, or handicap vs. no handicap classifications; however, competence and type of hahdicap were found to affect decisions. Paraplegics received the most favorable ratings while those with multiple sclerosis received the poorest ratings in terms of both expected performance on the job and hiring decisions. The competence of an individual was clearly the most dominant factor in influencing evaluative decisions. Post hoc analyses revealed no differences between the attitudes of male and female raters toward the disabled, but significant interactions regarding salary recommendations. The implications of these results are discussed, and directions for future research suggested.

The comparative value of pensions

1. This note incorporates a large part of the evidence given to the Scott Committee by the Government Actuary's Department, with additional material by myself as appropriate.The Pay Comparison system2. The actuarial calculations in question arise from job comparability exercises, when the value of the total remuneration package of specified jobs is being compared. In recent years, assessments have been made in the following circumstances:(i) Pay comparison studies for the Non-industrial Civil Service.(ii) Pay comparison studies for the Industrial Civil Service.(iii) Adjustments are made by the Review Bodies, who recommend salaries for the Armed Forces, Doctors and Dentists and Top Salaries. The Review Bodies consider various pension comparisons, but are not obliged to give reasons for their salary recommendations.(iv) Advice to the former Standing Committee on Pay Comparability (Clegg) for staff groups referred to them.(v) Compensatory additions to pay are quoted for a number of bodies whose staff are paid by reference to Civil Service and other public service rates, but who are in other pension schemes.

Influence of strong versus weak fair employment policies and applicant's sex on selection decisions and salary recommendations in a management simulation.

Influence of strong versus weak fair employment policies and applicant's sex on selection decisions and salary recommendations in a management simulation.

Influence of strong versus weak fair employment policies and applicant's sex on selection decisions and salary recommendations in a management simulation.

Influence of strong versus weak fair employment policies and applicant's sex on selection decisions and salary recommendations in a management simulation.

Exploring the Relationship Between Level of Office Noise and Salary Recommendations: A Preliminary Research Note

This small scale study extends the research concerning the effects of environmental conditions on evaluative interpersonal judgments. Twenty male undergraduate students were randomly assigned to two conditions: (a) noisy (taped office noise played at 70-80 decibels) and (b) quiet (ambient noise at 55-57 decibels). After a 20-minute adaption period, the subjects evaluated five simulated resumes and recommended starting salaries f or each job applicant. Subjects working in the noisy condition recommended significantly lower starting salaries, with a mean group difference of $971. Alternative theoretical explanations for this finding, as well as its practical implications, are discussed. The noise level-evaluative judgment relationship appears to be a potentially fruitful area for systematic research in organizational settings.