工作自由度的互惠效果

Abstract

本文嘗試解答互信與工時自由如何在工作場域影響互惠效果。我們選擇Upwork網站進行線上現場實驗，我們雇用網站上的自由工作者並觀察他們在給定額外時間獎勵或工資獎勵時的工作努力程度。本實驗請工作者做一個三小時的資料輸入工作並以總輸入字數及正確輸入字數作為產出的指標。過去文獻指出雇員會藉由提升工作表現來回饋雇主的善意。我們的第一個結果顯示雇員收到工資獎勵時較願意開始這三個小時的工作，然而，當考量總輸入字數時，我們並沒有發現存在互惠效果；且當考量正確輸入字數時，獲得每小時0.5美元獎勵的實驗組存在負向的互惠效果。此外，我們加入了一組可以自由選擇要接受工資獎勵或是額外時間獎勵的實驗組，但是這個實驗組同樣不論在總輸入字數或是正確輸入字數上都沒有發現互惠效果。

We seek to answer how trust and time flexibility influence reciprocity in the workplace. We run an online field experiment on Upwork to hire workers and observe their work effort when given additional time flexibility and wages. We ask the workers to do a 3-hour data-entry task, and measure the output by both the number of characters entered and the correct entering characters. The existing literature shown that workers reciprocate to the kindness of the employer by providing better work performance. Our first result finds that the worker who receives a money bonus is more willing to start the 3-hour task after receiving the treatment. However, we find no significant reciprocity when measuring the output by the total number of characters; while there exists negative reciprocity on correctly entered characters for those who receive a $0.5 per hour wage bonus. Additionally, we add a treatment to choose between wage increase and additional time flexibility, but this treatment again finds null results on either total characters or correct entering characters.