Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/35672 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2008
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 3839
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We develop a model of manager-employee relationships where employees care more for their manager when they are more convinced that their manager cares for them. Managers can signal their altruistic feelings towards their employees in two ways: by offering a generous wage and by giving attention. Contrary to the traditional gift-exchange hypothesis, we show that altruistic managers may offer lower wages and nevertheless build up better social-exchange relationships with their employees than egoistic managers do. In such equilibria, a low wage signals to employees that the manager has something else to offer - namely, a lot of attention - which will induce the employee to stay at the firm and work hard. Our predictions are well in line with some recent empirical findings about gift exchange in the field.
Subjects: 
Manager-employee relationships
wages
extra-role behavior
sabotage
gift exchange
social exchange
conditional altruism
reciprocity
signaling game
JEL: 
D86
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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