The reasons are self-evident:
- The employee is likely to be bored and feel unchallenged – maybe even resentful for taking a "lower-level" position
- OQs will likely jump ship once a better opportunity presents itself; or they'll tend to feel unmotivated and not be team players.
Fast-forward to 2014 and an aging workforce in a still-sluggish job market. On-boarding an OQ could be a hiring coup. According to recent research by Portland State University and an analysis by a California-based HR consultant, the thinking on OQs has done an about-face.
Among the reasons: These individuals are likely to have been laid off during the economic downturn and grateful to be working again. Turning them away could mean passing on an experienced talent pool that can add real value to your firm. Not that the practice is risk-free, but it's certainly evolved.