There are a lot of jobs out there that are just not that pleasant. While I-O
psychologists can help to select people who don’t mind those jobs, they also assist
employers in making jobs more satisfying. Making the work more rewarding can be
accomplished by giving employees more decision-making input, by helping them see how their
work fits into the mission of the whole company, or by providing them with a variety of
tasks.
I-O psychologists also assist in designing a workspace that doesn’t have employees
going home in pain each night. Through research, the right height for work benches,
computer keyboards, or digital readouts have been determined. That’s just one example
of how Human Factors/Ergonomics are influenced by I-O psychologists.
Using tools from behaviorists, cognitive psychologists, and social psychologists, I-O
psychologists design jobs or systems to increase the motivation levels of employees. Some
of the same things that make a job more satisfying (input to the work, vision, variety)
also increase motivation.
Finally, teams have become a fixture in most companies because much of the work done
now requires the skills of multiple players. In addition, the workplace of the future (and
the present for many people) is one that is connected by e-mail, faxes, video-conferences,
and other technology. The dispersion of people that was facilitated by this technology
also necessitates new teamwork skills.