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on Human Capital and Human Resource Management |
| By: | Contreras Silva, Valentina; Orsini, Chiara; Özcan, Berkay; Koehler, Johann |
| Abstract: | We present results from a field experiment that tests the effects of varying gender and linguistic group composition on performance and on group-members’ perception that their voice is heard when completing complex collaborative work within a low scrutiny environment. We randomize individuals enrolled in a postgraduate course populated by mostly women and non-native English speakers into small teams within larger, exogenously assigned seminar groups. Groups are tasked with complex and deliberative research assignments over three months. Using administrative and survey data, we find that a higher share of women in seminar groups significantly benefits the academic performance of group members—an effect driven by a positive effect on female native English speakers — while a greater proportion of women in small teams improves non-native language speakers’ perception of being heard. |
| Keywords: | team dynamics; gender; linguistic diversity; peer effects; higher education; field experiment |
| JEL: | R14 J01 |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:128788 |
| By: | Julie Berry Cullen; Gordon B. Dahl; Richard De Thorpe |
| Abstract: | How does being over- or underqualified at the beginning of a worker's career affect skill acquisition, retention, and promotion? Despite the importance of mismatch for the labor market, self-selection into jobs has made estimating these effects difficult. We overcome endogeneity concerns in the context of the US Air Force, which allocates new enlistees to over 130 different jobs based, in part, on test scores. Using these test scores, we create simulated job assignments based on factors outside of an individual's control: the available slots in upcoming training programs and the quality of other recruits entering at the same time. These factors create quasi-random variation in job assignment and hence how cognitively demanding an individual's job is relative to their own ability. We find that being overqualified for a job causes higher attrition, both during technical training and afterward when individuals are working in their assigned jobs. It also results in more behavioral problems, worse performance evaluations, and lower scores on general knowledge tests about the military taken by all workers. On the other hand, overqualification results in better performance relative to others in the same job: job-specific test scores rise both during technical training and while on the job, and these individuals are more likely to be promoted. Combined, these patterns suggest that overqualified individuals are less motivated, but still outperform others in their same job. Underqualification results in a polar opposite set of findings, suggesting these individuals are motivated to put forth more effort, but still struggle to compete when judged relative to others. Consistent with differential incentives, individuals who are overqualified are in jobs which are less valuable in terms of outside earnings potential, while the reverse is true for those who are underqualified. |
| JEL: | J24 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34215 |
| By: | Yi Chen; Fabiano Dal-Ri; Thomas Jungbauer; Daniela Scur |
| Abstract: | This paper presents a model of employee poaching with asymmetric employer learning. Firms poach managers not only due to their track record but also for their personnel-specific information about workers. In equilibrium, more productive firms poach managers, whose compensation increases in the quality of their information about workers. While poaching reassigns more able workers to more productive firms, efficiency does not obtain due to information frictions. Drawing on the universe of contracts in Brazil's formal labor market, we test implications of our model and show they are consistent with manager and worker movements and their compensation histories. |
| Keywords: | poaching, asymmetric learning, managerial compensation, Brazil |
| Date: | 2025–08–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2118 |
| By: | Mikko Silliman; Alexander L.P. Willén |
| Abstract: | This paper reconsiders how labor market competition shapes skill development --- integrating the perspectives of both firms and workers. While existing models often predict that firms will underinvestment in training due to a fear of poaching, we show that competition can instead serve as a catalyst for learning. It creates outside opportunities which incentivize workers to invest in their own skills, and it imposes innovation pressure that raises the value of training for firms. Using linked Norwegian survey and administrative data together with vignette experiments, we find that workers in more competitive markets accumulate skills faster than workers in concentrated markets—primarily through informal, self-directed learning—and that these gains are concentrated in higher-order, transferable skills. Firms in competitive environments also invest more in formal training, treating it as a strategic necessity rather than a dispensable cost. Experimental evidence complements these findings by showing that both workers and managers expect greater returns to learning and human capital investments in competitive markets. Together, these results challenge the canonical view of competition as a source of market failure in training, and instead highlight its role in facilitating both worker-led and firm-led investments in human capital. |
| Keywords: | competition, human capital, skills, learning |
| JEL: | J24 J31 J42 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12114 |
| By: | Blundell, Jack; Duchini, Emma; Simion, Ştefania; Turrell, Arthur |
| Abstract: | Since 2018, UK firms with at least 250 employees have been mandated to publicly disclose gender equality indicators. Exploiting variations in this mandate across firm size and time, we show that pay transparency closes 19 percent of the gender pay gap by reducing men’s pay growth. By combining different sources of data, we also provide suggestive evidence that the public availability of the equality indicators enhances public scrutiny. In turn, employers more exposed to public scrutiny seem to reduce their gender pay gap the most. |
| Keywords: | pay transparency; gender pay gap; public disclosure |
| JEL: | J16 J24 J31 L25 |
| Date: | 2025–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:129500 |
| By: | Faber, Philipp; Gräf, Miriam |
| Abstract: | The digital transformation of workplaces has accelerated remote work adoption, reshaping traditional employment dynamics. While remote work offers benefits such as flexibility and productivity, it also raises concerns about employee engagement, workplace culture, and long-term organizational commitment. Post-pandemic, organizations have adopted divergent strategies, with some embracing remote work and others enforcing partial office returns, reflecting ongoing debates about its sustainability. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews with 15 experts and thematic coding, we identify ten key loyalty factors. The findings reveal that while remote work is now an expected norm in many industries, particularly IT, it is not a direct driver of employee retention. Instead, factors such as the degree of flexibility, managerial support, communication, and digital infrastructure play a crucial role. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of organizational commitment in remote settings, offering theoretical insights and practical recommendations for fostering long-term employee engagement in digitally driven workplaces. |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:156711 |