Employers typically seek out well-qualified candidates, but a new study by researchers in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management highlights the potential risks associated with workers who feel overqualified for their jobs. When employees saw themselves as overqualified, they were more likely to consider some of their workload to be unfair or worthless, the researchers said.
In a study available online now and slated for publication in the October issue of the International Journal of Hospitality Management, the researchers demonstrated that when hospitality employees felt overqualified, they were more likely to perceive assigned tasks as inappropriate for them. Furthermore, when employees viewed tasks as unreasonable - unfair to them as an individual, as opposed to perceiving the task to be a general waste of time - they were more likely to behave poorly at work and want to leave their jobs. However, the researchers found that being treated with respect by one's manager reduced workers' perceptions of tasks as unreasonable.
