Member Spotlight: Aleksandra Luksyte

Name
Aleksandra Luksyte

Position/Employer
Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia

How long have you been a SIOP member?
I have been a SIOP member for 17 years.

What roles have you had within SIOP?
Currently, I am chair of the International Affairs Committee. I have also served on Research Awards and Grant committees; and of course, I have been SIOP reviewer since I joined SIOP in 2006.

Interest area(s)
Overqualification, diversity, presenteeism

What sparked your interest in I-O psychology?
Before my academic career I worked as a human resources manager in Lithuania. Having some practical experience in HR issues, I wanted to expand it and gain evidence-based knowledge for work issues that I experienced and observed during my tenure as an HR manager. I then got a Fulbright scholarship and went to UC Berkley where my academic advisor (SIOP Fellow) Cristina Banks inspired and encouraged me to do a PhD in I-O psychology.

What role do you see I-O psychology playing in the future of work?
I think (and hope) I-O psychology will continue playing a vital role in providing evidence-based answers and solutions to many workplace issues. I think the importance of scientific approach to work is particularly evident today in the aftermath of the pandemic and in the wake of AI that may disrupt the way we work, and hence I-O psychology can be extremely helpful in providing scientific guidance in how to deal with these new challenges. I think the challenge for I-O psychologists is knowing how to promote these evidence-based solutions to organizations and policymakers.

Which of the Top 10 Work Trends for 2023 do you most strongly relate to, and how can I-O psychology practitioners, educators, and students impact this trend?

Trend #5: Talent attraction and retention in a candidate-driven market. Although we live in a candidate-driven market, where employees can choose any jobs they like and can quit any jobs they dislike, many of them still feel overqualified, meaning they have more knowledge, skill, and abilities than needed for their jobs. I-O psychology practitioners and scientists can impact this trend by shifting a predominantly negative view of these workers who can be excellent employees if organizations are willing to accommodate their surplus talents by giving them challenging tasks or interesting projects–strategies that will minimize their misfit and maximize untapped potential of overqualified workers. In addition to implementing such talent management systems, both scientists and practitioners can impact this trend by increasing awareness of why overqualified employees choose such jobs–often they do so voluntarily to accommodate their family and personal circumstances.

Trend #4: Ensuring Inclusive Environments and Cultures. This trend is interconnected with trend #5 as many racially and demographically diverse employees feel underutilized in the workplace, and their work contributions are often viewed and evaluated differently than those of their majority counterparts. Hence, I-O psychology practitioners, scientists, and students can impact this trend by engaging in conversations about these diversity-related issues to increase awareness and inspire and promote equal treatment of all employees irrespective of their demographics.

What advice would you give to students or those early in their career?
Never give up! Much of our work is often being rejected by journal reviewers, grant agencies, organizational stakeholders. Yet a rejection is an opportunity to learn and improve our work. So, do not be discouraged by rejections, view them as feedback opportunities, perseverance always pays off! Also, establish daily writing routine–it helps with turning these rejected projects quickly around and helps sustain your productivity and love for research.

What is one of your favorite SIOP Annual Conference memories/highlights?

One of my favorite SIOP Annual Conference highlights is seeing and reconnecting with my school friends and collaborators, and establishing new friendships and connections. After the conference I feel inspired, energized, and have a deeper sense of connectivity and belongingness.

Please share one non-I-O-related bit of information about yourself.
I have been living in Australia for 12 years, and I love everything that is ocean and nature related. Every school holiday we go camping with my family and our friends, and it is one of the best and most effective recovery activities for me!

Is there anything you would like to add?
Yes! If you ever travel down under and would like to share your research with your Australian colleagues, please get in touch with me as we have seminars series for which we invite researchers. Also, I am a chair of the SIOP International Affairs Committee, and it would be great to see many of you at our reception at the upcoming SIOP Annual Conference.

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