Employers often seek highly qualified candidates, but new research from Penn State suggests that workers who feel overqualified may be more likely to view certain job demands as unfair or inappropriate. The study found that employees who perceived themselves as overqualified were more likely to consider assigned tasks unreasonable or unnecessary. When workers believed tasks were unfair specifically to them, they were also more likely to report poor workplace behaviour and intentions to leave their jobs.

The researchers focused on employees’ perceptions rather than trying to objectively determine whether a task was legitimate. “Perception is what matters,” said lead author Yoko M. Negoro, who earned her doctorate in hospitality management from Penn State. If employees believe they are being asked to perform work beneath their abilities or experience, she explained, it can negatively affect their attitudes and performance. This issue may be particularly relevant in hospitality, where workers often need to be flexible and take on a wide range of duties to meet customer needs.

To examine the relationship between overqualification and perceptions of work tasks, the researchers first recruited 109 participants in the United States and the United Kingdom. Participants imagined working as a hotel desk agent and were assigned either extensive supervisory experience and a master’s degree or limited experience and a high school diploma. They then evaluated tasks such as standing in a hotel lobby when no guests were present or manually transferring reports between software systems. Participants assigned higher qualifications were more likely to consider such duties unworthy of their time.

The researchers then surveyed 225 employees from 46 chain restaurants in Beijing, China, to test the findings in a real-world workplace. Despite cultural differences between Western and East Asian societies, the results were similar: employees who felt overqualified were more likely to perceive tasks as illegitimate. The researchers distinguished between “unreasonable” tasks, which employees believed they personally should not have to perform, and “unnecessary” tasks, which they believed should not be completed at all.

Although overqualified employees were more likely to identify both unreasonable and unnecessary tasks, the two perceptions had different consequences. Unnecessary tasks did not appear to increase negative workplace behaviour. By contrast, unreasonable tasks were associated with stronger intentions to quit and behaviours including tardiness, missed shifts, poor performance and completing personal activities during work hours. The findings suggest that employees may tolerate inefficiency or wasted time more readily than work they perceive as personally unfair or demeaning.

The study also found that respectful management could reduce these negative perceptions. Employees who felt respected by their managers reported 28% fewer unreasonable tasks than those who experienced less respectful treatment. The researchers said managers can help by explaining why tasks are important, recognising employees’ contributions and involving workers in reviews of workplace processes. Although the research focused on hospitality, the authors believe the findings may apply across many industries. Respectful leadership, they concluded, could help employees feel valued, reduce perceptions of unfair work demands and ultimately improve job satisfaction, retention and workplace performance.

More information: Yoko M. Negoro et al, Reasonable for others, but not for me: Perceived overqualification and the perception of illegitimate tasks in the hospitality industry, International Journal of Hospitality Management. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104756

Journal information: International Journal of Hospitality Management Provided by Penn State