Business Psychologists: Roles and Functions
We tend to consider psychologists people who have their own practice and who care for people with different mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, anorexia, or bulimia. However, their presence in the business world is also relevant (human resources are a company’s most important resource). Today, we’re going to have a look at what business psychologists do and how they help these types of organizations.
Business psychologists can improve the climate and relationships between workers, thus facilitating greater productivity and happiness at work. Studies tell us that the well-being of workers has a direct impact on their work motivation. But, in addition to this, business psychologists have much more specific roles and functions.
According to the study “Funções do psicólogo na empresa moderna” (“Functions of psychologists in modern companies”), psychologists develop activities within companies that could be divided into:
- Those aimed at modifying the external and environmental conditions of the company to adapt them to human characteristics.
- Those that focus on the selection of personnel and the evaluation of human performance, guiding and advising personnel.
Business psychologists and personnel selection
Business psychologists often play a major role in staff selection and job analysis. These professionals analyze the profiles of potential workers. This way, they can tell whether they fit with the type of person the company is looking for. To do this, they analyze their motivations, experience, personality, and what concerns them.
All of this is important when it comes to filling a position. Let’s imagine that the company needs a person to act as a leader. Company psychologists will analyze the profile of each person to see if they’ll be able to meet the company’s expectations.
However, business psychologists are in charge of selecting personnel and also usually have the responsibility of dismissing workers who are no longer productive for the company. They can also intervene in dismissing those who have committed serious misconduct.
The prevention of occupational risks
Business psychologists also work on the prevention of occupational risks because every organization knows that its workers’ health is very important. In this aspect, psychologists focus a lot on mental health. Are employees stressed? Do any of them suffer from burnout syndrome? When this happens, psychologists work to fix all these problems.
That being said, these professionals don’t usually work alone. Most of the time, they form a working group that includes sociologists and professionals from other areas.
In addition to this, business psychologists also have an important presence in the marketing department to detect users’ needs. The contributions they make can contribute greatly to the success of marketing campaigns.
Tools used by business psychologists
To be able to carry out all the activities we’ve mentioned, in addition to many others, business psychologists have a selection of resources. Many of them we already know. These are the questionnaires or interviews they send to workers to measure their level of satisfaction, health, and productivity.
However, they also use direct observation and pay close attention to what’s going on around them in case they have to intervene in conflicts. In addition to this, they can direct and organize how workers are carrying out their responsibilities. This helps them to be as productive as possible and ensures that everything flows smoothly.
With all the tools they can use, the presence of psychologists in many companies is significant for them to understand how to function better. However, some organizations don’t have them. You can notice this due to the work environment, the satisfaction of the workers, and the progress and success of the company itself.
Every company can benefit from psychologists, as they have a range of knowledge that other professionals don’t have. In addition, for all those who have just graduated in psychology, knowing this can open up the possibility of practicing positions they didn’t know about.