When companies think about essential hires, they often list jobs such as a marketing director or sales manager, but an organizational psychologist is just as important for many businesses to thrive. If you want to take your company to the next level, here is why you should add an organizational psychologist to your team.
What Does an Organizational Psychologist Do?
Organizational psychologists make sure that employees are happy and productive. They study human behavior, patterns and reactions, so they are experts in handling conflict resolution. Considering that studies show unhappy employees are more likely to quit their jobs, hiring an organizational psychologist can benefit your business in multiple ways.
An organizational psychologist know about decision theory, workplace conflict, career development, human performance, different attitudes and other areas of psychology that are relevant to companies. They also usually have a strong knowledge of administrative and employment regulations.
In a company, organizational psychologists can help with recruitment, hiring, placement and training. They can also help current employees by handling motivation, rewards, problems and other aspects of the workplace.
Finding the Right Organizational Psychologist
In general, you will want to look for an organizational psychologist who has a minimum education of a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Most will have taken a broad range of courses ranging from social to abnormal psychology. You will find that salaries for this position can range from $50,000 to $120,000 and will depend on experience and other factors.
You will also want to hire someone who has experience in your industry and who has worked with companies that are similar to your business in size. There is an enormous difference between working for a small business and a large corporation, so an organizational psychologist has to have the right background.
Employee Recruitment, Hiring and Screening
One of the biggest benefits of having organizational psychologists in your office is the help they can offer during employee recruitment and hiring. Even if you use employee screening tests to narrow down the list, it is still helpful to have an organizational psychologist on the hiring team who can interpret the results.
During the hiring process, an organizational psychologist can analyze the submitted applications, help conduct the interviews and select candidates. They can serve as valuable advisors that can find the best fit for the job.
Many companies continue to evaluate and screen employees after they are hired. They may do this for promotions, raises or other reasons. An organizational psychologist can handle the screening process from using employee performance management software to figuring out who should get a bonus in their next paycheck.
Employee Policies and Revisions
Your company probably already has an employee handbook with standard guidelines, but it may not be enough. An organizational psychologist can observe employees, interview them and gather information that can help you revise the policies. They can figure out what your company culture should look like, so employees do not want to leave.
The goal of an organizational psychologist is to improve worker morale. Sometimes this means changing current handbooks and making the workplace a more welcoming and less restrictive office. From allowing employees to bring their dogs to having fewer meetings, these changes can make a big difference in how people feel about your business. By allowing psychologists to handle the process, you can reduce problems in the future and prevent unhappy workers.
Long-Term Restructuring
On a daily basis, organizational psychologists can complete many tasks that help employees and the company. However, they are also useful for long-term planning, such as business restructuring. Their insight can be valuable when you want reorganize a department, hire or fire employees or change how the world views you.
Any transition in the workplace may lead to confusion, anger and judgment. This is another opportunity to use the organizational psychologists in your company to diffuse the situation and make employees feel valued. They can talk to the workers, gather their concerns and bring them to top management. This will save you time and effort while still providing you with the necessary data.
Organizational psychologists can help the entire company with teamwork. When you are going through a restructuring process, team-building exercises can help the employees feel connected again. From simple activities to retreats, organizational psychologists can help organize everything and make it run smoothly. For instance, they can find a local charity that everyone can get involved with, so employees help others while learning to get along.
It may not seem like a necessity, but hiring an organizational psychologist can help your entire company on multiple levels. From figuring out who to hire to making sure employees want to stick around long-term, they can improve different aspects of your business. They can help design and optimize the workplace to create healthier, happier and more productive workers.
Mandy X
Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
