DOI: 10.48121/jihsam.1978739 ISSN: 2149-9519

The Effect of Perceived Overqualification on Time Theft: The Mediating Roles of Presenteeism and Occupational Humorous Coping Among Healthcare Professionals

Mehmet Kılınç, Vahit Yiğit
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When medical professionals perceive that their accumulated expertise, formal education, and competencies surpass the actual demands of their assigned roles, it triggers a cascade of complex organizational and behavioral repercussions. Consequently, this study explores the direct impact of perceived overqualification on time theft within the healthcare sector, while specifically investigating the potential mediating mechanisms of presenteeism and occupational humorous coping. Utilizing a quantitative, cross-sectional methodology, empirical data were gathered from a sample of 608 medical personnel actively working across four public hospitals in Konya, Türkiye. The theoretical framework was empirically evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to comprehensively assess the interplay among the focal constructs. Analytical results demonstrate a significant positive relationship between perceived overqualification and both time theft and presenteeism, alongside a substantial negative correlation with humor-oriented coping strategies. Furthermore, presenteeism was found to escalate time theft, whereas employing humor to cope diminished such deviant workplace behaviors. Crucially, mediation assessments established that presenteeism acts as a significant psychological conduit linking overqualification perceptions to time theft. Conversely, occupational humorous coping did not exhibit a statistically significant mediating influence within this dynamic. These empirical insights suggest that optimizing the person-job fit, actively mitigating presenteeism, and bolstering the psychological resilience of healthcare staff are critical administrative strategies for minimizing unapproved time misappropriation. Ultimately, this research advances the organizational behavior domain by contextualizing perceived overqualification within the spectrum of counterproductive work behaviors and presenting a tailored, holistic theoretical paradigm for the healthcare industry.

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