Υπερειδίκευση και ψυχολογικό συμβόλαιο

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Keywords
Υπερεξειδίκευση ; Υπερπροσδιορισμός προσόντων ; Εργασιακή ικανοποίηση ; Ψυχολογικό συμβόλαιοAbstract
In modern society, the phenomenon of over-specialization, i.e. the situation in which
an individual has education beyond what is necessary or required by an employer for a job, is
an increasingly frequent reality, which fundamentally affects job satisfaction, employee
commitment and the general dynamics of professional relationships. In particular, many
young people in particular have highly specialized knowledge and qualifications, however,
these skills are often not valued to the expected extent or, in any case, are not fully utilized in
the workplace. The present paper explores the effect of over-specialization on the
psychological contract (i.e., on the informal dynamic agreement that represents the
unwritten mutual expectations, on both sides, namely, on the one hand, the employer, on the
other hand, the employee) and its relationship with salary satisfaction. Through a
questionnaire distributed to 205 private sector employees, who constituted the research
sample, the relationships between their skills, their earnings, the type of their commitment,
satisfaction with their earnings and their general perception of their job were examined. The
research highlighted important aspects of the overspecialization phenomenon, such as the
lack of adequate recognition, which leads to negative consequences for the psychology, work
commitment and overall well-being of employees. The findings indicate that the mismatch
between skills and job requirements is a determining factor in the reduction of job
satisfaction. However, it is suggested that the enhancement of work autonomy, through
freedom to make decisions and independence in tasks, can mitigate the negative
consequences of overspecialization, creating an environment that promotes self-realization
and commitment. The psychological contract, as an informal agreement between employer
and employee, proves to be fundamental for the quality of the employment relationship,
significantly affecting satisfaction and commitment. In conclusion, the research highlights the
importance of implementing policies that promote flexibility, transparency and recognition of
employees' qualifications. At the same time, it is proposed to integrate the implementation
of sound human resource management strategies that can effectively address the challenges
of overspecialization. However, the study presents certain limitations, such as the use of self-
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reported data, as participants were asked to describe their own experience, opinions or
feelings regarding the subject of the research. The subjectivity of these elements may affect
the objectivity of the research as well as the applicability of its results to various work
environments. Another limitation of the research is that it focuses only on private sector
workers, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other occupational sectors. Future
research could examine the long-term effects of overspecialization, taking into account
aspects such as cross-cultural differences, differences related to demographic factors such as
gender, and broader samples from different employment sectors.