PSYCHOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE
In the past few decades, acknowledgement of the contribution of psychology in the workplace has increased. The field of psychology has highlighted the importance of understanding how work and home life, as well as personality and work performance, are interrelated, and how this interrelatedness affects work performance and job satisfaction.
Psychology in the workplace offers many services, including:
• individual counselling, aimed at supporting and assisting a person with personal issues, stresses or conflicts;
• self-growth or training, aimed at developing an individual’s self-knowledge, both as a person and as a member of a work team,
• group facilitation, aimed at supporting and assisting a work-group with interpersonal issues, stresses or conflicts;
• team building, aimed at the development of a work-group as a cohesive and functional team;
• assessments, aimed at exploring personality, conflict management styles, leadership skills, career guidance, etc.
Basically, there is a link between a person’s home environment and their working environment. If one environment is stressful in some way, it will likely impact the other. For example, difficulties within a marriage may produce stressful feelings which may then cause irritability and short-temperedness or tearfulness and depression at work. These often adversely affect work capacity and relationships within the working environment. Psychology in the workplace is therefore about providing support, growth and skills to manage stress and difficulties.
Similarly, there is increased acknowledgement of a correlation between an individual’s personality and their approach to work. Determined and outcome-based individuals are likely to be goal-driven with regards to their work, while others who have a more holistic outlook, tend to be more process-oriented, for example. Although these two approaches complement one another, they sometimes cause tension in the workplace between different individuals, hindering effective teamwork. Personal growth and self-knowledge, gained through psychological counselling, assessments or coaching and /or workshops, may thus be useful in assisting individuals to optimise such characteristics, as well to assist in optimising how different individuals work together as a team.
Psychological counselling may be of benefit when tensions or conflicts arise within the workplace as a result of differences in personality, leadership style, work methods etc. By providing psychological support, team-building exercises and group facilitation, psychology may assist individuals to perform optimally and to work more effectively together in the workplace.
Psychology can also provide useful information and skills in terms of assessments and workshops, whereby individuals can acquire an increased understanding of themselves, their colleagues and their work environment. They may also gain new abilities and ways of conceptualising which serve to enhance their overall work performance. Psychological assessments and workshops include personality assessments which help to identify and understand personal character traits; management or leadership style assessments, assisting in promoting more effective leadership skills; conflict management, aimed at exploring existing and alternative methods of approaching conflict; and career path advice, which is useful in guiding individuals in achieving their career goals, etc.
Due to professional and ethical constraints which ensure confidentiality, psychological counselling in the workplace affords an individual a safe environment where trust can be established with an unbiased, independent person. Within this context, an individual may feel secure and confident to explore sensitive issues.
The field of psychology in the workplace can therefore be summarised as providing a confidential and supportive function for both individuals and teams or groups, as well various opportunities for self-growth and development in order to maximise work performance and job satisfaction.
Important:
TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
Find a Therapist
Find skilled psychologists, psychiatrists, and counsellors near you.
