Getting a Cut : A Contextual Understanding of Commission Systems

Most of the literature on commissions and bonuses focuses on the concerns of management, ignoring the perspective of those who receive commissions. In Getting a Cut, Richard Seltzer and Holona LeAnne Ochs address this important gap in the literature. They shed light on the employees' point of view and recognize that understanding the employee perspective is vital to fostering a more productive work environment. The unique perspective offers managers insight into incentive structures and administrative practices that foster trust and facilitate integrity. It provides a way for employers to use employee perspectives to gauge the work environment and determine how the commission system may be structured to improve performance. It also offers employees perspectives on strategies, experiences, and compensation from others who earn commissions. Getting a Cut satisfies the curiosity about how other workers are compensated, how they affect their own earning, and how they experience their work. Getting a Cut is the companion volume to Gratuity: A Contextual Understanding of Tipping Norms from the Perspective of Tipped Employees. The two volumes are based on semi structured interviews with over 450 people. The diverse respondents from across the United States provide a people-first perspective on work within commission structures. These accounts reveal what people think about their compensation and how they experience their work, examining aspects of work life, labor relations, and management that have never been addressed before. Book jacket.