Presupposition # 15 – Hiring overqualified workers?
A hyponym (sub part) of the hypernym (umbrella term) presupposition is our prejudices. Apparently the prevailing presupposition in companies – irrespective of continent – is; don’t hire an overqualified employee since the person eventually will get bored and quit. At first glance the presupposition is true according to an article in Harvard Business Review: ‘The Myth of the Overqualified Worker’, however as the name of the article states it’s a myth. The myth has unfortunately led numbers of experienced, highly skilled people into the ranks of the long-term unemployed . Someone has set the myth and some have kept it but now it’s time to change the myth and set a new frame. The article clearly shows that it’s profitable to employ overqualified workers. As always it boils down to how the workers are managed and if they experience that they are empowered or not.
So, what kind of myths or prejudices do you have that are hinders for progress? Can you set new ones?