Occupational Psychology Services offered by Chartered Psychologists
6.1 Counselling and Personal Development
Counselling can help people to cope with stressful events
- change and uncertainty, relocation or redundancy,
organisational change, new demands on workers, upheavals
in their private lives. Happy events, such as promotion
or the decision to make a career change, are also stressful.
Occupational psychologists use their wide knowledge
and understanding of work to help their clients gain
control of their work and to manage their careers.
6.2 Design of Environments and of Work
The right conditions can improve productivity, increase
job satisfaction and protect the health of workers.
Important factors include such things as lighting, noise
and temperature, shift work and fatigue, and the effects
of drugs (including medicines and social drugs such
as alcohol - not just illegal substances).
6.3 Employee Relations and Motivation
The relationship between an organisation and the individuals
of whom it is composed is of great importance. Motivation
may be difficult to measure but no-one could doubt its
significance. Reward, recognition, respect, leadership,
loyalty - these key concepts are all psychological in
nature.
6.4 Human-machine Interaction
People cannot give their best if they are struggling
with the tools they use in their job. Human-centred
design and installation of equipment can enhance every
aspect of performance. This is true in all spheres,
but computer systems in particular need good design,
careful selection and thoughtful introduction into the
workplace if they are to produce real benefits. And
software is as important as hardware.
6.5 Organizational Development
Some organisations are planned, some are haphazard,
quite a few are planned yet are still haphazard! Occupational
psychologists help to plan and manage systematic change
in organisational structures, relationships and work
procedures in response to changes in the organisation's
external environment or, for example, to accommodate
the introduction of new technology. They do this through
many techniques (e.g. team building) and use various
tools to assess the organisation's culture.
6.6 Performance Appraisal and Career
Development
Organisations need to know how their members are performing.
They need this information to identify and to rectify
conditions which are causing inefficiency, but organisations
also need this information for the proper development
of their members. Management development is well-established
but development is not just for managers.
6.7 Personnel Selection and Assessment
Selecting the right person for the job is the first
crucial step in achieving good results for employer
and employee alike. Modern systems of assessment, which
include the use of psychometrics, computerised selection,
assessment centres, biographical information ('biodata')
and structured interviews, can ensure that the best
decisions are made.
6.8 Training
Maintaining and improving efficiency depends on training
and developing staff. Choosing or designing the right
programme depends on a proper understanding of the task
and an understanding of the learning process. Occupational
psychologists have expertise in analysing tasks, in
designing and using modem training systems (including
Computer Based Training), and in evaluating the effectiveness
of training outcomes.