Drawing upon the conservation of resource theory, we offer a framework for understanding the mechanism underlying the effect of public employees’ overqualification on their cognitive and behavioral outcomes, through both positive and negative paths. We propose that perceived overqualification elicits two subjective cognitions, namely, perceived control and psychological entitlement, which further lead to public employees’ behaviors through approach (organizational citizenship behavior) and avoidance (workplace deviance behavior) tendencies. A total of 421 public employees participated in the three-stage time-lag investigation. The findings indicated that public employees’ perceived overqualification is positively related to perceived control, and perceived control is positively related to organizational citizenship behavior. Perceived control completely mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and organizational citizenship behavior. Perceived overqualification is positively related to psychological entitlement, and psychological entitlement is positively related to workplace deviance behavior. Psychological entitlement completely mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and workplace deviance behavior. This study constructed a double-edged sword model of perceived overqualification based on the public sector, discussing the influence of public employees’ perceived overqualification on their workplace behaviors from the perspective of resource assessment and self-evaluation, and providing theoretical guidance for the practice of human resource management within the public sector.

As proactivity becomes vital for organizational success, retaining proactive employees becomes increasingly important, making the relationship between a proactive personality and turnover intention a key research topic. While existing studies have largely depicted turnover as a consequence of dissatisfaction and have identified negative indirect relationships, this study seeks to challenge that perspective by proposing that, in today’s boundaryless career environment, people also engage in voluntary turnover for career advancement. Using a self-regulation career management model, we propose that proactive employees set ambitious career goals influenced by career aspirations, leading them to seek external opportunities and thus exhibit higher turnover intention. However, when organizations implement career management practices, this relationship weakens as proactive employees perceive opportunities to achieve their goals within their current organizations. We tested these hypotheses with a sample of 342 respondents using the SPSS macro PROCESS. The findings support our propositions, revealing a positive indirect effect through career aspirations, which diminishes when perceived organizational career management is strong.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, mask-wearing has become a widespread phenomenon. Even after the pandemic, people continue to maintain the habit of wearing masks in their daily lives. While existing research has explored how mask-wearing can influence wearers’ behavior in everyday life, its effects in the workplace have received less attention. Drawing on self-perception theory, this study examined the positive effect of mask-wearing in the workplace on wearers’ voice behavior via psychological safety. An online experiment (N = 291) using a within-subject manipulation of wearing masks supported our hypotheses. This study uncovered the psychological and behavioral consequences of mask-wearing beyond its benefits in people’s health conditions and everyday life.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, mask-wearing has become a widespread phenomenon. Even after the pandemic, people continue to maintain the habit of wearing masks in their daily lives. While existing research has explored how mask-wearing can influence wearers’ behavior in everyday life, its effects in the workplace have received less attention. Drawing on self-perception theory, this study examined the positive effect of mask-wearing in the workplace on wearers’ voice behavior via psychological safety. An online experiment (N = 291) using a within-subject manipulation of wearing masks supported our hypotheses. This study uncovered the positive psychological and behavioral consequences of mask-wearing beyond its benefits in people’s health conditions and everyday life.

Individual value on superficial harmony is especially common and prevailing in Chinese culture in which people tend to avoid direct confrontations and pretend to be inclusive and harmonious in a gr...

Leaders’ support for employee voice is often assumed to encourage employees to speak up and share their ideas or suggestions rather than remain silent. However, existing research primarily focuses on how managerial support for voice leads to increased voice behavior and overlooks its impact on silence. As silence is not merely the absence of voice but a distinct construct, evidence linking managerial support for voice to more voice is insufficient to conclude that it reduces silence. In this paper, we examine how and when advantageous voice endorsement–employees’ perception of receiving greater managerial support for their voiced ideas or suggestions compared to their coworkers–paradoxically increases subsequent silence. Drawing upon the sensitivity about being the target of a threatening upward comparison (STTUC) model, we argue that employees with advantageous voice endorsement experience heightened concern about being envied, which in turn leads to more silence. Furthermore, the positive indirect effect of advantageous voice endorsement on silence via concern about being envied intensifies for employees with higher levels of superficial harmony. Across one preregistered experiment and three multi-wave field studies, we found consistent support for our hypothesized relationships and ruled out several alternative mechanisms.