Can Perceived Overqualification Increase Cyberloafing? An Emphasis on the Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion

The paper explains the role of perceived overqualification in cyberloafing. This research is based on the dates that collected from Iranian oil companies. The aim is to explore the association between perceived overqualification and increased cyberloafing in the organization. This research is descriptive and positivist with an applied design. The data were collected using cross-sectional surveys and questionnaires. The statistical population consisted of Iranian oil industry employees with a minimum of one computer system. The respondents were selected using randomized cluster sampling, and the sample size was calculated using the Cochran formula. Inferential statistic methods and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to test the hypothesis and analyze the data. Our results indicate that employees with perceived overqualification show behaviors such as compensation to balance their effort and payments, energy loss, and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, emotionally exhausted employees have higher cyberloafing. However, organizational commitment could be a partial moderator between perceived overqualification and cyberloafing.