On a combined theory of pay level satisfaction

an article by Yong Heng (Angus) Yao (University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada), Edwin A. Locke (University of Maryland, USA) and Muhammad Jamal (Concordia University, Montreal, Canada) published in Journal of Organizational Behavior Volume 39 Issue 4 (May 2018)

Summary
For decades, research on pay level satisfaction has focused on two theories and one approach: the direct link theory, the discrepancy theory, and the no‐difference‐scores approach. However, there are still unsolved puzzles facing pay level satisfaction research.

We develop a combined theory to consider the impact of the interaction of reported pay and pay discrepancy. With this newly developed theory, we expect that:

1. both reported pay and pay discrepancy have main effects on pay level satisfaction;
2. reported pay and pay discrepancy also interact with each other, in that the effect of pay discrepancy on pay level satisfaction decreases as pay level increases;
3. equitable payment is more related to pay level dissatisfaction when pay level is low; and
4. overpayment in general is related to pay level satisfaction, not dissatisfaction.

An empirical study (N = 481) using four types of comparison standards was conducted, and the results supported our predictions. The findings of our study have important implications for both academic research and management practice.

Full text (PDF 14pp)

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Does my algorithm have a mental-health problem?

a post by Thomas P. Hills for the Big Think

Is my car hallucinating? Is the algorithm that runs the police surveillance system in my city paranoid? Marvin the android in Douglas Adams’s Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy had a pain in all the diodes down his left-hand side. Is that how my toaster feels?

This all sounds ludicrous until we realize that our algorithms are increasingly being made in our own image. As we’ve learned more about our own brains, we’ve enlisted that knowledge to create algorithmic versions of ourselves. These algorithms control the speeds of driverless cars, identify targets for autonomous military drones, compute our susceptibility to commercial and political advertising, find our soulmates in online dating services, and evaluate our insurance and credit risks. Algorithms are becoming the near-sentient backdrop of our lives.

The most popular algorithms currently being put into the workforce are deep learning algorithms. These algorithms mirror the architecture of human brains by building complex representations of information. They learn to understand environments by experiencing them, identify what seems to matter, and figure out what predicts what. Being like our brains, these algorithms are increasingly at risk of mental-health problems.

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Pensions planning in the UK: A gendered challenge

an article by Liam Foster and Martin Heneghan (University of Sheffield, UK) published in Critical Social Policy Volume 38 Issue 2 (May 2018)

Abstract

Gender differences in the accumulation of pension savings are well documented.

Work in this field has concluded that while differing lifetime work profiles (and family history) explained much of the difference, other factors such as pension knowledge and confidence in decision-making, may also be significant.

This research, commissioned by the Fawcett Society and funded by Scottish Widows, explores some of these factors through the use of 30 semi-structured interviews and a focus group with women (aged 24–39) about their attitudes and motivations towards pension saving. It concentrates on discussions around pension knowledge, advice and decision-making, and identifies challenges in relation to women’s pension knowledge and the use of male ‘role models’ in making decisions.

The article then explores potential policy mechanisms to enhance women’s pension saving for retirement, including the manner in which information and advice is provided and strategies to improve confidence in pension decision-making.

Full text (PDF 22pp)

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The Sound of Madness

an article by T.M. Luhrmann published in Harper’s Magazine [via Arts & Letters Daily]

Can we treat psychosis by listening to the voices in our heads?

Sarah was four years old when her spirit guide first appeared. One day, she woke up from a nap and saw him there beside her bed. He was short, with longish curly hair, like a cherub made of light. She couldn’t see his feet. They played a board game – she remembers pushing the pieces around – and then he melted away.

After that, he came and went like any child’s imaginary friend. Sarah often sensed his presence when strange things happened – when forces of light and darkness took shape in the air around her or when photographs rippled as though shimmering in the heat. Sometimes Sarah had thoughts in her head that she knew were not her own. She would say things that upset her parents. “Cut it out,” her mother would warn. “This is what they put people in psychiatric hospitals for.”

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This is a long read which I found intellectually stimulating. The advice provided about the Hearing Voices network seems eminently sensible.
Some people might find the accompanying images disturbing.

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How easily could you be duped by fake news?

a post by Stephen Abram on his blog Stephen's Lighthouse

A team of French journalists created a conspiracy theory video to show how real fake news can seem

“A fake video documentary produced by a team of French journalists working with Spicee.com exemplifies how well produced fake news can be. Most people assume fake news is easy to spot because of translation problems and low production values, according to Thomas Huchon, who worked on the project.”

Continue reading at the CBC News site

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What to do if you hate your job

Alison Green wrote this for LinkedIn’s Weekend Essay this weekend [21 May]

If you’re miserable at work, you’re not alone. Having written Ask a Manager for more than a decade now, I’ve answered questions from literally thousands of people who hate their jobs. Whether it’s due to a difficult boss, unpleasant colleagues, mind-numbing work, or a toxic culture, there are a lot of people toiling away at jobs they’d rather not be in.

The unsettling reality is that even if you do everything right in screening your jobs, you can still end up in a work situation that makes you unhappy. The great boss who you were so excited to work with could move on a few months after you start, and her replacement could end up being a disaster. Your office could have budget cuts that leave you with an unmanageable workload. You could be assigned a new client who turns your dream job into a nightmare. Or, if you’re like a lot of people, you might just end up in a job that sounded amazing in the interview but fell drastically short of your expectations once you started.

If you find yourself in this situation, step one is to get really clear about exactly what the problem is. Is your boss a hovering micromanager who doesn’t give you any autonomy, despite your years of experience? Or maybe the problem is your coworkers – is your work life lonely because you haven’t been able to form any rapport with your colleagues? Maybe it’s the work itself; you might have signed up expecting to do X but ended up doing Y, or the workload might be way too high or so low that you’re bored for hours every week. Or maybe it’s your company culture since not every culture will be a fit for every person. Maybe your office is slow-moving and resistant to change, while you’re more entrepreneurial and need a culture that values that, or maybe it rewards people who spend their off-hours golfing with the company bigwigs and you’re not up for that. Or maybe upon reflection you’ll realize that the problem isn’t this particular job, but rather the idea of having to work in general that’s making you miserable.

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Everyone Has Struggles, So Don’t Stigmatize Yourself

a post by Mosab Alkhteb for the Tiny Buddha blog



From a psychological point of view, my childhood sucked.

I didn't have many friends, I rarely left the house, I was terribly shy, and I used to get bullied a lot, both physically and mentally.

My teenage years weren't any different. The psychological issues I had as a child amplified further and created more profound problems.

When I started college, I didn't magically become more confident or develop high self-esteem. I was almost the same person.

Now, I proudly (and humbly) can say that I've gotten over most of my childhood and teenage problems, including the ones related to my social life.

But I'm not here to tell you how I did that. That would probably take a book. And trust me, it's not as glorious as I wish it were.

Instead, I want to tell you about one factor that made all the difference during my journey of change and development.

One factor that made my journey tolerable at times. Without it, I would have given up.

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Believe me it will be worth all the time you spend working through the ideas.

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