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Glite Dictionary
overmanning

overmanning

6.8
A situation where more workers do a job than are needed
  • noun
  • /ˌoʊvərˈmænɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sobrecarga de personal
  • This led to the usual shortcomings of overmanning and inefficiency in the enterprises, and agriculture suffered from price controls designed to favor the urban consumer, especially in the case of the staple diet of mealie, which is derived from maize.

Examples

  • The social goal of full employment in the communist system also contributed to the overmanning of state factories and enterprises.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The factory struggled with overmanning, as too many workers were assigned to the same task.

  • The manager reported that overmanning in the department led to confusion and delays in production.

  • Addressing the issue of overmanning, the company implemented a workforce reduction strategy that improved efficiency.

Synonyms

overemployment
vsovermanning
  • Specialized
7.9

More people work than needed or workers do more hours than they want

refers specifically to having too many workers for a single job or task

Antonyms

to smartsizing
  • Jargon
8.3

To make a company smaller and more efficient by changing its structure and jobs

How Staffed

overmanning
  • Specialized
6.8
staffing
37 3.1

Surface Forms

overmanning singular
overmannings plural

Morphology

overmanning = overman (transparent) = over + man + ing

Formed by adding the productive prefix 'over' to the verb 'man' (to staff) and then the nominalizing '-ing'; the meaning 'excess staffing' follows directly.

Etymology

Overmanning is made from over- meaning 'too much' and man meaning 'people' or 'workers', as in manpower. So, overmanning means having more workers than are needed for a job.