Employee Job Performance in Britain and the United States

Abstract

This paper examines the determinants of employee job performance in the U.S. and Britain. We use two nationally representative data sets (the 1991 General Social Survey and the 1992 Employment in Britain survey) that contain comparable indicators of job performance and of motivation, ability and task characteristics. American employees were more likely to report higher levels of performance quantity and (especially) quality. Most of our explanatory variables affected the two dimensions of performance in similar ways in the two countries. Both quality and quantity performance were more strongly affected by income in the U.S. Quality of performance was more strongly related to the size of the workplace in Britain. Quantity of performance was more strongly related to the importançe placed on promotion and to task significance among American workers.