Coping with perceived overqualification: The effect of coping strategies on employee outcomes in the hospitality industry

Perceived overqualification is more common than ever among hospitality employees due to workforce shifts and characteristics of hospitality jobs. While previous research suggests that perceived overqualification leads to person-job fit directly, we argue that how employees cope with perceived overqualification can largely influence their perceptions of person-job fit. Drawing on the transaction theory of stress and coping, the current study developed and tested a multi-level moderated mediation model to understand the underlying coping mechanisms between perceived overqualification and person-job fit. Although the total effect of perceived overqualification on person-job fit was negative, the indirect effects of perceived overqualification and person-job fit through coping strategies were different. In addition, organization-level procedural justice moderated the effects of perceived overqualification on the choice of coping tactics. Lastly, only needs-supplies fit was negatively associated with turnover intentions. These results highlight the active role of employees in managing perceived overqualification and provide guidance for hospitality managers to mitigate the negative effects of employees’ perceived overqualification.