SummaryWe surveyed three distinct samples of employees (Ns of 238, 102, and 981) in order to examine relations among various types of underemployment, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Each dimension of underemployment is explored as a case of poor person-job fit, and the fit literature is used to produce hypotheses about these relations.We also developed and validated the 9-item Scale of Perceived Overqualification (SPOQ) to tap employee perceptions of surplus education, experience, and KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities). In general, perceptions of underemployment were associated with poor job satisfaction, particularly for facets with a direct causal relationship with the specific dimension of underemployment, such as overqualification and satisfaction with work. Perceived overqualification was also related to lower affective commitment, and higher intentions to turnover. For part-time work, negative attitudes were only found when employees expressed a preference for full-time work; a similar trend was not found for temporary workers, however. Implications for theory, research, and practice are delineated.

In the modern marketplace, especially when unemployment is high, more and more Americans find themselves overqualified (i.e., possessing more competencies than the job requires). Using and extending person-environment fit theory and the stressor-emotion model of counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs), we examine whether overqualified employees are more likely to display CWBs than employees who feel their positions match their qualification levels. Further, we examine why overqualified employees may behave in counterproductive ways and compare the empirical viability of several theoretically derived competing mediators. Based on data from a sample of full-time employees (n = 215), we found that consistent with the theoretical frameworks, overqualified incumbents display nondesirable counterproductive work behaviors because they become cynical about the meaningfulness of their activities. We further show that although poor person-job fit or inadequate psychological contracts can motivate such misbehavior, cynicism dominates as a reason for why overqualified employees engage in counterproductive work behaviors.

The current study examined a moderated mediation model of perceived overqualification and job search, with job attitudes as mediators and the competence and growth work value as a moderator. We also hypothesized a positive relationship between overqualification and actual voluntary turnover behaviour. College graduates from diverse occupations completed two surveys spaced 6 months apart (n = 368). Results suggested that perceived overqualification at Time 1 led to active job search behaviour at Time 2, both directly and through job satisfaction. The direct link was moderated by work values, such that the overqualification–job search relationship was stronger for employees who highly valued work which offered skill utilization and growth. Perceived overqualification was also predictive of voluntary turnover behaviour; those at the high end of the overqualification scale were over four times more likely to have left their position than those at the low end of the scale. Finally, those who left their original positions reported less overqualification in their new positions. The current findings extend the limited existing literature by establishing relationships between overqualification and withdrawal behaviours 6 months later, and also providing evidence that individual differences may influence reactions to being overqualified. Practitioner points The current study found that employees who feel overqualified were more likely to be searching for a new job 6 months later, especially among those who strongly value work that utilizes their skills. Perceived overqualification was also linked to future actual turnover behaviour. Thus, organizations stand to potentially lose talented employees if they feel underutilized and underchallenged in their jobs. These trends are particularly true of employees who strongly desire work that takes advantage of their talents, suggesting that the most ambitious employees are likely to seek alternate employment if they feel underutilized. To retain these employees, supervisors first need to identify employees who might be feeling overqualified and underutilized, as these perceptions may or may not line up with ‘objective’ overqualification. The supervisor can then consider ways to empower the employee through increased involvement in decision‐making or offering more advanced job assignments.

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Attitudes toward surveys were conceptualized as having two relatively independent components: feelings about the act of completing a survey, called survey enjoyment, and perceptions of the value of survey research, called survey value. After developing a psychometrically sound measure, the authors examined how the measure related to respondent behaviors that directly impact the quality and quantity of data collected in surveys. With the exception of a response distortion index, survey enjoyment was generally related to all the respondent behaviors studied (item response rates, following directions, volunteering to participate in other survey research, timeliness of a response to a survey request, and willingness to participate in additional survey research). Survey value was related to item response rates, following directions, and willingness to participate in additional survey research. A respondent motivation and intentions explanation is provided. Although the identified effect sizes were generally small, a number of practical implications emerge and are discussed.The use of surveys to address organizational research needs (e.g., pinpointing areas of concern, monitoring program impact, and providing input for future decisions) has Downloaded from increased tremendously over the past half century (Kraut, 1996). As a result, millions of employees are asked to complete at least one organizational questionnaire each year (Gallup, 1988). Given the ubiquity of surveys, it is surprising how little research has examined individuals' attitudes toward this frequently used research methodology (i.e., the degree of positive or negative feelings a person has about surveys). The present study addresses this deficiency by introducing a reliable measure of attitudes toward surveys and examining how those attitudes relate to survey respondent behaviors that affect data quality and quantity (e.g., completing survey items, following directions).Research on attitudes toward surveys began with the descriptive work of Sjoberg (1955), who interviewed 148 people about their attitudes toward government polling (e.g., "Do you think the city should set up controls to restrict the interviewing of people?"). Although this study did not examine the relations between attitudes about polling and other variables (e.g., how people respond to surveys), it identified respondents' attitudes toward surveys as an important consideration in conducting survey research. Other research has found that the number of requests an individual receives to participate in survey projects was related to that individual's attitudes toward surveys. Specifically, individuals inundated with survey requests expressed more negative attitudes toward surveys than individuals with fewer survey solicitations (Goyder, 1986). Attitudes toward surveys were also found to be unrelated to respondents' decision-making vocalizations when completing a survey, as assessed via verbal protocol analysis (Helgeson & Ursic, 1994;Ursic & Helgeson, 1989). More recently, Baruch (1999) arg...