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New research on human resources from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including organizational design, compensation, incentive plans, hiring practices, and recruitment.
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The Gender Gap in Self-Promotion

by Christine L. Exley and Judd B. Kessler

Many organizations and job applications require individuals to assess their own ability and performance. When women communicate to potential employers, however, they systematically give less favorable assessments of their own past performance and potential future ability than equally performing men. The study rules out potential explanations for the gap and discusses implications.

Should Non-Compete Clauses Be Abolished?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: Non-compete clauses need to be rewritten, especially when they are applied to lower-income workers, respond James Heskett's readers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Economic Cost of Physician Burnout

by Michael Blanding

Doctor burnout takes a toll on physicians and patient care, but there is another cost to be accounted for, says Joel Goh. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Corporate Purpose and Firm Ownership

by Claudine Gartenberg and George Serafeim

This study shows that corporate purpose varies greatly according to the nature of firm ownership, and these differences can be least partly explained by the choices and compensation of the CEOs. The greater the pay gap between CEOs and employees, the lower the sense of corporate purpose within the organization.

Making the Right Technical Hire

by Julia Austin

CEOs are usually more comfortable making key hires on the business side of the house than the technology side. Here is what executives need to understand about technical hires, according to Julia Austin. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Distressed Employees? Try Resilience Training

by Dina Gerdeman

Depressed employees are up to five times more likely to experience work-related problems than employees with chronic physical illnesses. So why aren't employers helping them? asks Ashley Whillans. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Walmart's Workforce of the Future

by Julia Hanna

A case study by William Kerr explores Walmart's plans for future workforce makeup and training, and its search for opportunities from digital infrastructure and automation. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Comprehensive Effects of Sales Force Management: A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Selection, Compensation, and Training

by Doug J. Chung, Byungyeon Kim, and Byoung G. Park

When sales forces are well managed, firms can induce greater performance from them. For this study, the authors collaborated with a major multinational firm to develop and estimate a dynamic structural model of sales employee responses to various management instruments like compensation, training, and recruiting/termination policies.

Rituals Strengthen Couples. Here’s Why They’re Good for Business, Too

by Dina Gerdeman

Couples with deliberate rituals feel more satisfied with their relationships, says research by Michael I. Norton and Ximena Garcia-Rada. Can businesses benefit? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

rTSR: When Do Relative Performance Metrics Capture Relative Performance?

by Paul Ma, Jee-Eun Shin, and Charles C. Y. Wang

Managers are increasingly evaluated based on relative performance metrics, particularly relative total shareholder returns (rTSR). This paper finds that the majority of firms that tie CEO performance-based contracts to rTSR do a remarkable job of filtering out the systematic risk in TSR. However, a significant portion of firms make relatively poor choices in the design and selection of rTSR, a result of weak governance and an overreliance on compensation consultants.

Learning or Playing? The Effect of Gamified Training on Performance

by Ryan W. Buell, Wei Cai, and Tatiana Sandino

Games-based training is widely used to engage and motivate employees to learn, but research about its effectiveness has been scant. This study at a large professional services firm adopting a gamified training platform showed the training helps performance when employees are already highly engaged, and harms performance when they’re not.

Stuck in Commuter Hell? You Can Still Be Productive

by Dina Gerdeman

Commuters who listen to music or browse social media might be increasing their chance of a stressful workday. Research by Francesca Gino and colleagues offers better ways to cope with a bad commute. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Forget Cash. Here Are Better Ways to Motivate Employees

by Dina Gerdeman

In today's tight job market, employers must focus on how to attract and keep top talent. Giving away stacks of money may not always be the best incentive, warns Ashley Whillans. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Why Business Should Support Employees Who Are Caregivers

by Danielle Kost

Shifting demographics are causing an increasing number of people to act as caregivers for family and friends—but employers seem hardly to notice the trend. Joseph Fuller discusses why companies should support them. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Women Receive Harsher Punishment at Work Than Men

by Michael Blanding

Women caught in misconduct were 20 percent more likely to be fired and 30 percent less likely to find new employment in the financial services industry, reports new research by Mark Egan and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Salary Taboo: Privacy Norms and the Diffusion of Information

by Zoë B. Cullen and Ricardo Perez-Truglia

Barriers to the diffusion of salary information have implications for a wide range of labor market phenomena. This study of employees of a real organization shows that individuals significantly misinterpret their peers’ salaries, partly due to pervasive preferences for concealing own salary, and a potentially strategic decision of high earners to withhold their personal information.

Work from Anywhere or Co-locate? Autonomy versus Learning Effects at the United States Patent Office

by Prithwiraj Choudhury, Cirrus Foroughi, and Barbara Larson

Managers often ask whether worker productivity rises or falls with work-from-anywhere (WFA) policies. This study of a real firm presents robust econometric evidence that WFA regimes can have positive effects on net worker output, especially for experienced hires working interdependently. For new hires, however, colocation is often needed to facilitate their learning.

Make Your Employees Feel Psychologically Safe

by Martha Lagace

To do their best work, people need to feel secure and safe in their workplace. In a new book, Amy C. Edmondson details how companies can develop psychological safety. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Motivate Me, Please

by Sean Silverthorne

People are often coin-operated when it comes to work, but managers can bring out their best performance using motivators other than money. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Knowing What Your Boss Earns Can Make You Work Harder

by Rachel Layne

Learning what your co-worker earns can make you less productive, but knowing your manager's paycheck can motivate you to work harder. Research by Zoë Cullen. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.