This study uses nationally representative panel survey data for Australia to identify the role played by mismatches between hours actually worked and working time preferences in contributing to reported levels of job and life satisfaction. Three main conclusions emerge. First, it is not the number of hours worked that matters for subjective well-being, but working time mismatch. Second, overemployment is a more serious problem than is underemployment. Third, while the magnitude of the impact of overemployment may seem small in absolute terms, relative to other variables, such as disability, the effect is quite large. Copyright (c) Blackwell Publishing Ltd/London School of Economics 2009.

Recent advances in incentive theory stress the multi-dimensional nature of agent effort and particularly the case where workers can improve the performance of others through 'helping' efforts. This paper provides a simple model of an agent's incentive to help depending on the compensation package, the cost of monitoring, and the allocation of tasks. We then analyze the determinants of reported helping efforts within workgroups for a sample of Australian workers. As expected, workers are less likely to help one another when promotion incentives are strong. Subsidiary results are consistent with our 'contest' interpretation of this finding and not with a 'gift exchange' theory whereby pay inequality is demotivating per se. Also as predicted, a wide range of job tasks amplifies the negative effect of promotional incentives, while monitoring of help mitigates the negative effect. We find an unexpected positive effect of piece rates on helping effort for long-term employees which we show is consistent with repeated game effects between workers. These considerations do not overturn our findings about the effects of tournaments.(JEL J33

The authors analyze bias avoidance behaviors, whereby employees respond to biases against caregiving in the workplace by strategically minimizing or hiding family commitments. They divide bias avoidance behaviors into productive types that improve work performance and unproductive types that are inefficient. Original survey data from 4,188 chemistry and English faculty in 507 U.S. colleges and universities suggest both types of bias avoidance are relatively common and women more often report both types of behavior. Regression analyses show few disciplinary differences, find supportive supervisors associated with reductions in reports of bias avoidance, suggest low levels of bias avoidance for women are linked to institutional gender equity, and support the possibility that there are subjective components to bias avoidance behaviors.

We use Australian establishment data to estimate the determinants of incentive schemes. Hypotheses are drawn from the new economics of personnel and the strategic choice literatures. Larger firms are more likely to use individual schemes such as piece rates. Firms where female workers predominate or those facing stiff product market competition are more likely to use both piece rates and profit sharing. We also isolate the effects of monitoring, job security, and industrial relations climate.

With smaller, more efficient workforces, hotel organizations are competing to retain highly valued managers. Work stress and burnout are often cited as precursors to work and family stress, and together these factors influence employee intentions to leave an organization. However, work and family issues have received little attention in the hospitality and tourism literature. Using focus groups and semistructured interviews with three groups of participants (new entrants into the hotel industry, hotel managers, and their spouses), the authors explore the connections among work characteristics, work stress, and the work—family interface. Results of the multisource qualitative research suggest that long, unpredictable hours create individual and family-related stress. Furthermore, there is agreement among the three sources regarding the stressors and benefits associated with working in the hotel industry. Discussion of future research and practice is presented.