Psychology and Work Today
Psychology and Work Today
Introduction
Would you work if you didn’t have to? Nowadays, it is not unusual to hear a great number of people complaining about their jobs, feeling “stuck” in what they do, dreading going to work, etc. However, considering the financial crisis, having a job is better than not having one. Therefore, we are taught to conform and try to be happy with bringing funds to pay our bills, holidays, bare necessities, and, for the lucky ones, to provide them with money for personal hobbies or interests.
It is a fact that our working life accounts for half of our adult life; this has an impact in our health, family, relationships, etc. Would you spend five days in an environment that is harmful for your mental, emotional and physical health, without consequences? There are numerous studies that show the link between physical and emotional health with work satisfaction.
In 1871, John Ruskin wrote: “In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it, they must not do too much of it and they must have a sense of success in it”.
With this thought in mind, I am going to write about the contributions of I-O Psychology in the modern working world for a man to achieve a certain level of happiness require in the workplace and for organizations to have not only a productive work force but also one that is efficient and motivated. Such as recruitment, regulations of the Equal Employment opportunities, leadership, motivation, organizational styles and stress. Followed by a case study about
1. History of I-O Psychology
Pre-Psychology theories, Aristotle philosophised about management techniques and concepts such as leader selection, departmentalization and authority. In 1527, Machiavelli provided advice on how to structure organizations. The Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics, Adam Smith, published a book in 1776 “The Wealth of Nations”, suggesting specialized
Introduction
Would you work if you didn’t have to? Nowadays, it is not unusual to hear a great number of people complaining about their jobs, feeling “stuck” in what they do, dreading going to work, etc. However, considering the financial crisis, having a job is better than not having one. Therefore, we are taught to conform and try to be happy with bringing funds to pay our bills, holidays, bare necessities, and, for the lucky ones, to provide them with money for personal hobbies or interests.
It is a fact that our working life accounts for half of our adult life; this has an impact in our health, family, relationships, etc. Would you spend five days in an environment that is harmful for your mental, emotional and physical health, without consequences? There are numerous studies that show the link between physical and emotional health with work satisfaction.
In 1871, John Ruskin wrote: “In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it, they must not do too much of it and they must have a sense of success in it”.
With this thought in mind, I am going to write about the contributions of I-O Psychology in the modern working world for a man to achieve a certain level of happiness require in the workplace and for organizations to have not only a productive work force but also one that is efficient and motivated. Such as recruitment, regulations of the Equal Employment opportunities, leadership, motivation, organizational styles and stress. Followed by a case study about
1. History of I-O Psychology
Pre-Psychology theories, Aristotle philosophised about management techniques and concepts such as leader selection, departmentalization and authority. In 1527, Machiavelli provided advice on how to structure organizations. The Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics, Adam Smith, published a book in 1776 “The Wealth of Nations”, suggesting specialized
References: 1. www.internationalHRrecruitment.co.uk 2. The Times online 3. The American Heritage Dictionary