Douglas C. Maynard

Why do overqualified incumbents deviate? Examining multiple mediators.

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.

Reasons for working part‐time: Subgroup differences in job attitudes and turnover intentions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explores the factors that might lead an individual to pursue part‐time (PT) employment.Design/methodology/approach – The paper hypothesized that employees have very different motivations for PT working, and that these motivations will affect their work experiences. The paper builds on recent research focusing on attitudinal differences between “voluntary PT” and “involuntary PT” employees by developing and evaluating a measure of reasons for accepting PT work. Current full‐time (FT) and PT employees from several samples (n=1,069) completed a survey including our reasons scale, plus measures of facet job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions.Findings – Cluster analyses of reasons indicated four groups of PT employees – voluntary, involuntary, caretakers, and students. These sub‐groups differed from each other, and from FT workers, on most outcome measures. Students and involuntary PT workers generally reported lower job attitudes and grea...

Compensatory rest breaks for VDT operators

Abstract Discomfort associated with continuous VDT use can be moderated by short rest breaks at 10 or 15-min intervals. This laboratory study evaluated an alternative break administration system in which operators only received short breaks when their spontaneous rest pauses were inadequate. Undergraduate volunteer typists ( N =38 ) were assigned to one of two conditions, regimented (20-s breaks every 5 min)or compensatory (20-s breaks every 5 min if spontaneous pauses totalled less than 17 s), and entered lines of randomized upper- and lower-case characters during a 48-min work period. Mood and musculoskeletal discomfort were assessed before and after the work period. Operators also completed a questionnaire about the break system. Performance measures included keystroke rate, error rate, and correction rate (backspace use). Although the number and length of computer-administered breaks decreased in the compensatory condition, no differences in performance, mood, or acceptance of the break system were found. However, back discomfort was lower in the compensatory condition. These findings suggest that a compensatory rest break system can eliminate unnecessary task interruptions and be as effective as a regimented break schedule in ensuring that VDT operators do not perform computer work continously.

Mobility and Inclusion

Individuals and families relocate from one region of the world to another for many reasons (e.g., financial opportunity, work or military assignment, family reunion, or escape from war, political unrest or natural disaster). All globally mobile new settlers, however, must negotiate the often daunting challenge of integrating into that new home region. Inclusion occurs when all members of a social group are allowed and encouraged to fully engage in the life of that social group and share their diverse talents, worldviews, and backgrounds. In this chapter, we discuss some of the most crucial factors that affect a new settler’s experience of inclusion (or lack thereof). These factors range from the personal (e.g., prior mobility experience) to the situational (e.g., community composition, public opinion toward immigration) to the interaction between the two (e.g., cultural and linguistic similarity between the new settler and the host country). We argue that inclusion requires a joint commitment from both the new settler and the communities that make up her new home, and that such inclusion is likely to be at once challenging and rewarding. We close by highlighting suggestions for public policy.

Directions for Future Underemployment Research: Measurement and Practice

The last decade has seen noticeable growth in research on the underemployment phenomenon – when an individual is employed in some way that is insufficient relative to some standard – and the problems associated with it. This research comes from a variety of areas, most notably economics, sociology, and the organizational sciences (i.e., industrial-organizational psychology and management). For example, the academic database PsycINFO returned 97 sources with the underemployment keyword between the years 2000 and 2009, up 76% from the previous 10-year span. Very recently, economic woes in most developed nations and across the globe have also brought underemployment into public consciousness. Various media outlets continue to give attention to overqualification and related problems of insufficient employment (e.g., Hemming, 2010; Korkki, 2010; Luo, March 2010; Reingold, February 2009; Schieffer & Besner, 2009). This increased interest from both scholars and the popular press is notable in that, until recently, the underemployment problem has been overshadowed by the unemployment problem (Dooley, Prause, & Ham-Rowbottom, 2000; Feldman, 1996), especially in the media.

An Evaluation of Industrial/Organizational Psychology Teaching Modules for Use in Introductory Psychology

Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology has typically been neglected in introductory psychology textbooks and courses. The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) recently developed a series of teaching modules for introducing I/O psychology. We evaluated 4 modules with 12 samples (N = 333) for student learning and intentions and for student and instructor reactions. Overall, student knowledge of I/O concepts increased after presentation of the modules. Additionally, students were more likely to want to take a course in I/O psychology after the presentation. Finally, students found the presentations interesting and easy to understand. All instructors reported that the modules made presenting a lecture on I/O easy and that they were considering the use of the modules for future sections.

A compensatory rest break system for VDT operators

Short rest breaks at 10 or 15-min intervals are being proposed as a means to moderate health problems and discomfort associated with continuous VDT use. This laboratory study evaluated an alternative to administering frequent breaks on a regimented schedule; short breaks were not administered unless the operators spontaneous rest pauses were insufficient. Undergraduate volunteer typists (N=38) were assigned to one of two conditions: regimented (20-sec breaks every 5 min), or compensatory (20-sec breaks every 5 min only if the spontaneous pauses did not total 20 sec). Participants entered lines of randomized upper and lower-case characters that appeared on their VDT during a 48-min work period. Mood and musculoskeletal discomfort were assessed before and after the work period, followed by a questionnaire about the break system. Performance measures included keystroke output, error rate, and correction rate (backspace use). Large pre-to-post work period differences in both mood and musculoskeletal discomfort were found. Both the number and length of computer-administered breaks decreased in the compensatory condition. Back discomfort was lower in the compensatory condition, however, no differences in performance, mood, nor acceptance of the break system were found. These results indicate that rest breaks administered on a compensatory basis during repetitive computer work can eliminate unnecessary breaks and improve well-being without being any more disruptive to work than regimented breaks.