Co-worker reactions to i-deals through the lens of social comparison: The role of fairness and emotions

Abstract

The individualization of working conditions has culminated in the form of “i-deals,” which are uniquely negotiated arrangements between employees (i-dealers) and their supervisor. Implementing such idiosyncratic deals, however, only makes sense when their benefits outweigh their costs. To assess their merit, co-worker reactions should be considered. Do i-deals trigger fairness perceptions and emotions among co-workers? And how do these factors influence co-workers’ behaviors? To date, the cognitive and emotional mechanisms of co-workers’ behavioral reactions have been underdeveloped. In this article, we build on social comparison theory to develop a process model. We argue that social comparison is not a given, as co-workers might not necessarily compare themselves with the i-dealer. Yet, if they engage in comparison, this can be upward when they feel disadvantaged or, alternatively, downward. Such comparisons include a unique set of emotions and fairness perceptions, which together influence co-workers’ behaviors positively or negatively. Moreover, we argue that the boundary conditions of the relational context within which i-deals unfold play an important role. Our model offers theoretical insights into co-worker reactions to i-deals as well as a future research agenda. The model also aids practitioners in understanding co-workers’ reactions and in guiding them to assure positive reactions.

Employability Paradox: The Effect of Development Idiosyncratic Deals on Recipient Employees’ Turnover Intention

“…For example, future research could analyze the employability paradox by using social exchange theory. In addition, many scholars have indicated that i-deals have broader implications beyond the recipient employees ( Marescaux et al, 2021 ). Thus, it is encouraged that future research could explore the impacts of authorizing i-deals on the i-dealers’ coworkers or supervisors themselves.…”

“…Those clues may improve the recipient employees’ evaluations of their working abilities and self-worth, thus increasing their confidence to find a new job in the external labor market. Second, the within-group heterogeneity nature of development i-deals reveals that development i-deals are not available for every employee, but for someone who is professional or valuable ( Marescaux et al, 2019 , 2021 ). Because of this nature, development i-deals may have broader significance and implications beyond the current organization ( Bal and Rousseau, 2015 ).…”

Social comparison and perceived envy‐motivated communication involving travel nurses: A qualitative study

“…Recent empirical work suggests that fairness perception by employees influences employee behaviour and emotions (Koopman et al, ). Although scarce resources limit how and whom nurse managers might mentor (Gan, ), they should nevertheless take steps to ensure that their nurses are treated fairly (Marescaux et al, ). This strategy can promote fairness perception framed by the constraints of unit resources and also improve work outcomes—researchers recently noted that employees who perceived their supervisors as fair coupled by the perception that their supervisors did not have self‐serving reasons for doing so had increased levels of trust in their supervisors (Matta et al, ).…”

“…However, when and whom one can or will help highlight differences in individuals' ability to share and to compete for resources. The extent that people engage in acts of reciprocity also reflects their perceptions of whether they feel others have treated them fairly and whether those people are trustworthy (Koopman, Lin, Lennard, Matta, & Johnson, 2019;Marescaux, De Winne, & Rofcanin, 2019;Matta, Sabey, Scott, Lin, & Koopman, 2019). Those considerations make the human cognition of social comparison salient.…”

Review of Idiosyncratic Deals in Organization: From the Dual Perspective of “i-Dealers” and “Co-Workers”

“…Moreover, getting close to the envied person can help the employee learn how to achieve higher outcomes (Lee & Duffy, 2019). Marescaux et al (2019a) also proposed that benign envy of the co-workers leads to positive behaviors, both toward the organization and i-dealer.…”