Module 4 Flashcards
(73 cards)
What are industrial and organizational psychologists doing?
Industrial and organizational psychologists are helping employers and employees navigate as COVID-19 reshapes the world of work
Who is Charlene Zhang?
Industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologist Charlene Zhang, PhD, is among the millions of employees who now work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which displaced most office workers to their kitchens and living rooms back in March 2020. But even though Zhang spent her time in graduate school researching the science of remote work, she often has to remind herself not to let the lines between work and home life blur.
What is the plus side for Charlene Zhang?
On the plus side, she can start working whenever she wants.
What did Zhang say?
“But then I find myself checking emails all the time,” said Zhang. “I need to put in a conscious effort to separate work and life.”
Aside from being an industrial psychologist what other role does Zhang have?
Zhang is just one participant in a global, unplanned experiment in transforming work virtually overnight, whether workers stayed on the job in circumstances that were now life-threatening or had to transform their homes into offices, often with children as unwitting officemates.
What is changing dramatically within the context of work?
Attitudes about work are already changing dramatically.
What is an example of attitudes changing in the workplace?
For one, employees are reassessing work-life balance. APA’s 2021 Work and Well-being Survey, for example, found that prioritizing mental health has become more important to 59% of employees since the pandemic began. Research by Microsoft suggests that 41% of workers worldwide are considering leaving their current employers.
Who coined the term “Great Resignation”?
Texas A&M University management professor and psychologist Anthony Klotz, PhD, coined the term the “Great Resignation” to describe the phenomenon. (For a look at how COVID is forcing women out of the workforce, see “Women’s Workforce Losses”)
What did Cort Rudolph, PhD say?
“The 1918 flu pandemic shaped how workers approach work,” said Cort Rudolph, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Saint Louis University, noting that the resulting uprisings over unsafe working conditions helped usher in employer-sponsored insurance and workplace safety improvements (Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 1–2, 2021). Now, he said, instead of succumbing to the temptation to return to business as usual, society needs to consider what we’ve learned during this pandemic and reshape work again.
Who is Cort Rudolph?
an associate professor of psychology at Saint Louis University
What is a key priority (in terms of work)?
Finding ways to improve remote work is a key priority.
What did Zhang and her colleagues do when workplaces sent many workers home?
When workplaces sent many workers home in 2020, Zhang and colleagues took advantage of Twitter to gather real-time data about how employees across the English-speaking world were responding (Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 106, No. 6, 2021).
What did Zhang and her colleagues find in their study?
Their analysis revealed many upsides, such as increased productivity, no commute, and the ability to structure workdays as desired. But while workers enjoyed “not sitting in a cubicle all day,” said Zhang, many—especially parents—reported that working from home was stressful because of blurred boundaries and competing demands from family also at home.
How can managers help mitigate these challenges?
Managers can help mitigate these challenges by equipping workers with proper home office setups, helping employees maintain structure by setting aside times for meetings, and encouraging colleagues to engage with each other via frequent check-ins.
What are other I/O psychologists focusing on?
Other I/O psychologists are focusing on specific elements of the work-from-home experience.
What did Kristen Shockley, PhD do?
Kristen Shockley, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Georgia, has examined the phenomenon of Zoom fatigue (Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 106, No. 8, 2021).
Who is Kristen Shockley?
Kristen Shockley, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Georgia
What did Shockley find in their experiment?
In an experiment in which employees were randomly assigned to have cameras either on or off for 2 weeks and then switch conditions for 2 additional weeks, Shockley and colleagues found that having cameras on resulted in employees—especially women and recent hires— feeling more fatigued, less engaged in meetings, and less like they had a voice in meetings.
What did Shockley say?
“The self-presentation that goes with having the camera on is cognitively taxing,” explained Shockley. “You’re looking at yourself and being hypervigilant about how people are reacting to you.”
What does Shockley hope to do in future research?
In future research, Shockley hopes to investigate whether using avatars or side-view cameras that simulate a typical meeting space would help.
What did Darrin Grelle say?
For members of marginalized groups, such as non-White workers and sexual and gender minorities, working from home can feel more comfortable, said Darrin Grelle, PhD, principal research scientist at SHL, a company with offices around the world that helps employers select the best employees.
Who is Darrin Grelle, PhD?
principal research scientist at SHL
What is SHL?
a company with offices around the world that helps employers select the best employee
What else did Grelle say?
“Speaking as a gay man, the way you act in the office may not be the way you act at home, and that uses up emotional and psychological resources,” he said. “If you’re working remotely, you don’t have to do that as much, and, therefore, you have more cognitive resources to get your work done.”
