Disentangling the influences of positive reciprocity and mood on gift exchange at work

While previous studies documented the existence of gift exchange at work, none of them identified the distinct influences of positive reciprocity and affective state. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in an effort to disentangle these two mechanisms. A subset of workers were promised an unexpected pay rise. Some of them started working immediately after the announcement, whereas others started working a week later. Because the pay rise announcement produced an immediate boost in elicited mood that disappeared after a week, this study design enabled separation of the reciprocity and mood motives. The results showed that the announcement increased productivity both among the workers who commenced work immediately after the announcement and among those who commenced work a week later. Moreover, while the increase in productivity was mainly driven by positive reciprocity, the boost in mood played a significant role immediately after the announcement.