Abstract
ORIENTATION: This study explores how pay transparency influences employee job performance within commission-driven environments in the South African property industry RESEARCH PURPOSE: How pay transparency influences employee job performance in commission-driven environments in the South African property industry MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Pay secrecy undermines motivation and discretionary effort, particularly in commission-based roles RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: A qualitative, interpretivist case study design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants comprising senior managers and property managers from three Johannesburg-based Real Estate Investment Trusts operating in the student accommodation sector. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis MAIN FINDINGS: The findings reveal that pay transparency enhances job performance by clarifying effort-reward linkages, enabling self-regulation and reducing performance uncertainty PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: Organisations should prioritise procedural clarity, transparent performance criteria and ongoing communication to leverage pay transparency as a performance management tool CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: This study provides rare qualitative evidence from a Global South, commission-based industry, addressing a significant gap in pay transparency literature