People often ask me, “What exactly do you do?” I say, “I’m a psychologist that
specializes in the workplace.” I still get curious looks! I realize that my
background is different. I have a doctorate in Psychology, and a doctoral
minor in Management from the Business School at UF. I have spent my career
working with organizations and getting their people to be stronger leaders and
team members.

So, what exactly is Workplace/Organizational Psychology? The first Organizational Psychology textbook was inspired by Hugo Munsterberg due to his having conflict with his Harvard colleagues! Workplace psychology focuses on the people in the workplace and seeks to resolve organizational conflicts and promote employee wellbeing.

Why is this necessary? People spend more waking hours “at work” than
anywhere else. Having a workplace psychologist and “soft skills” training as a
part of your overall process is an investment. Human factors are huge
predictors of success… even more than the financial factors! Organizations who go beyond the “bottom line” and focus on leadership, healthy communication
and team building, typically are the most successful. This is because good mental health, coupled with excellent leadership, results in less employee stress, reduced turnover and more productivity.

While personal factors also affect mental health, their impact can be
reduced by the culture and leadership of an organization. A Workplace
Psychologist, who has this very specialized training and experience, will mediate individual, group, and organizational conflicts that occurs in all organizations.

Resolving conflict isn’t easy because of the different cultures, fears, attitudes, personalities and backgrounds that influence human behavior. A Workplace Psychologist turns these differences into opportunities and will provide your employees with the proper training and necessary motivation. Differences are transformed from points of conflict to opportunities for collaboration. Using a Workplace Psychologist results in both the
individual and the organization’s improvement in performance,
productivity, efficiency, and internal wellbeing!