arbiter
JournalsAccount

Performance Pay and Mental Health: Differences by Pay Scheme

Benjamin Charles Adams

Industrial Relations: a journal of economy and society2026https://doi.org/10.1111/irel.70027article
AJG 4ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Anxiety and depression contribute to billions of dollars of lost productivity each year. This work is the first to examine the impact of performance pay on self‐reported measures of anxiety and depression in either the U.S. or Europe, using typical U.S. survey data. It finds no significant impact of performance pay overall but finds that stock options are associated with decreased rates of anxiety and depression, while bonuses are associated with increased rates of anxiety and depression. The heterogeneity indicates a need for further research into the mechanisms by which performance pay impacts mental health.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/irel.70027

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{benjamin2026,
  title        = {{Performance Pay and Mental Health: Differences by Pay Scheme}},
  author       = {Benjamin Charles Adams},
  journal      = {Industrial Relations: a journal of economy and society},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/irel.70027},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Performance Pay and Mental Health: Differences by Pay Scheme

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.