[syn: pamper, featherbed, cosset, cocker, baby, coddle, mollycoddle, spoil, indulge]
2.  hire more workers than are necessary; 
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
featherbed \featherbed\ n.
   1. a mattress stuffed with feathers.
   Syn: feather bed.
        [WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
featherbed
    n 1: a mattress stuffed with feathers [syn: feather bed,
         featherbed]
    v 1: treat with excessive indulgence; "grandparents often pamper
         the children"; "Let's not mollycoddle our students!" [syn:
         pamper, featherbed, cosset, cocker, baby,
         coddle, mollycoddle, spoil, indulge]
    2: hire more workers than are necessary