Perceived Overqualification and Experiences of Incivility: Can Task i-Deals Help or Hurt?

We examined why overqualified employees may report heightened levels of experienced incivility, particularly when they have successfully negotiated task i-deals from their employers. Adopting a person-job fit perspective, we examined our proposed model in two studies with employees in the higher education industry (Study 1) and workers from a range of industries and occupations (Study 2). In Study 1 (N = 229), the moderated mediation model showed that task i-deals attenuated the positive relationship between perceived overqualification and boredom sensations, which was associated with reduced experienced incivility. In Study 2 (N = 222), using a time-lagged design, we expanded on Study 1 findings by examining dimensions of person-job fit, namely, demands-abilities fit and needs-supplies fit, as well as perceptions of being envied by coworkers as mechanisms. Supporting our theorizing, we showed that task i-deals buffered the negative relationship between perceived overqualification and demands-abilities fit. Ironically, the provision of i-deals intensified overqualified employees’ perceptions of being envied by coworkers, which in turn explained their reported experiences of incivility. These results highlighted the complexity of reducing interpersonal stressors, wherein the provision of task i-deals minimized the misfit and associated boredom sensations of overqualified employees. Yet, such customized working arrangements intensified overqualified employees’ feelings of being envied and their reports of experienced incivility.