Social comparison and the value of performance trajectory information: A field experiment in the workplace
通过在中国一家跨国连锁水疗中心进行随机对照实验，发现向新员工展示资深同事的绩效轨迹信息能降低11-12%的离职率，并在新员工较多的门店提升15%的收入，其机制是缓解压力、改善心理健康。
Abstract Research Summary Many new employees leave their firms before realizing the returns to experience. One reason is that they cannot see how performance evolves with tenure. We study whether making performance trajectories visible improves retention and firm performance. In a randomized controlled trial at a multinational spa chain in China, workers received twice‐weekly information for 28 weeks about the performance path of a high‐performing senior coworker. The intervention reduces new‐worker attrition by 11–12% and increases revenue by 15% in stores with more new workers. These effects are largely driven by reduced stress and improved mental health, as the information lowers their beliefs about how well senior coworkers performed early in their careers. By contrast, showing only the current performance of a similar‐tenure peer has no detectable effect. Managerial Summary In many firms, new employees leave before realizing the returns to experience because they lack information about how performance evolves with tenure. We examine whether making senior workers’ performance trajectories visible improves retention and firm performance. In a randomized controlled trial involving over 7,000 workers at a multinational spa chain in China, employees received twice‐weekly information for 28 weeks about the performance trajectory of a high‐performing senior coworker. The intervention reduces new‐worker attrition by 11–12% and increases revenue by 15% in stores with more new workers. These effects are driven by reduced stress and improved mental health, as the information lowers beliefs about senior coworkers’ early‐career performance. Overall, our findings show that making senior workers’ performance trajectories visible can mitigate social comparison costs within firms.