Work Smart Series

 


December 2024
Strengthening Employee Value through Sustainability Practices

 

Date:

Wednesday, December 4, 2024


Time:

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET


Workshop Coordinators:

Ian Katz and Terri McNelly


CE Credits: 

Details can be found on the Work Smart Series CE page.


Learning Objectives:

  • Describe what Employee Green Behaviors are and at least 3 reasons why they are essential for successful implementation of sustainability efforts in organizations.
  • Describe at least 4 ways organizations can leverage leadership and change management principles to embed sustainability into the organizational culture.
  • Explain positive impacts of green behavior on employee outcomes.
  • Clarify and develop the most critical capabilities of a green leader.
  • Develop an action plan that fosters a personal sense of ownership and responsibility toward sustainability in the workplace.

Detailed Description:

In today’s competitive landscape, an emphasis on the Triple Bottom Line (i.e., financial, social, and environmental performance) is essential for organizational success. In this workshop, attendees will explore evidence-based strategies for integrating sustainable practices into organizational culture, learn how to effectively communicate and execute these initiatives, and discover the role of employee behavior as the core to the success of these initiatives. By prioritizing sustainability, organizations contribute to the value proposition to drive both employee satisfaction and retention and long-term organizational success.


Presenters

Beth Anne McPheeters's headshotBeth Anne McPheeters

Beth Anne is an innovative, strategic thinker who sees the possibilities and answers to complex problems where others can’t or don’t. She serves as the Executive Director, Corporate Reputation for Syneos Health with responsibility for executing against the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance corporate strategy. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Georgia, Beth Anne has served in Brand Marketing and Strategy roles before moving into Corporate Social Responsibility in 2019 and establishing the company’s first strategic approach to enabling a sustainable organizational culture. She brings a creative, analytical mindset to be a continual source of new ideas and approaches to lead the implementation of game-changing solutions.

 

Mano RamakrishnanMano Ramakrishnan

Mano is a skilled facilitator, thoughtful coach and creative researcher who is looking to create positive impact – especially in the areas of environmental sustainability and social inclusion. With a Ph.D. in I-O Psychology from Akron, he is an experienced scientist-practitioner in the fields of leadership development, inclusion and organizational psychology. In his years working in the US and abroad in various consulting and leadership roles, he has built a track record of developing enduring relationships, fostering collective creativity and delivering exceptional results. He is an experienced public speaker, innovative researcher and inspiring executive coach.

 

Evan Sinar's headshotHannes Zacher

Hannes Zacher is a Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at Leipzig University in Germany. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Giessen and subsequently worked in academic positions in Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands. In his research program, Hannes investigates various topics, including organizational environmental sustainability. Across these research agendas, he employs multiple methodologies, including experimental, longitudinal, and meta-analytic studies. His research is well supported through competitive grants and industry funding. Hannes has published over 200 articles in international journals and serves on several editorial boards. Since 2024, he is Editor-in-Chief of Psychology and Aging, the premier outlet for the psychological science of aging and adult lifespan development published by the American Psychological Association.

 

November 2024
Combating the Toxic Workplace

 

Date:

Wednesday, November 13, 2024


Time:

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET


Workshop Coordinators:

Megan VanHoy and Chia Lin-Ho


CE Credits: 

Details can be found on the Work Smart Series CE page.


Learning Objectives:

  • Identify five key indicators of a toxic work environment.
  • Explain the effects of workplace toxicity on work outcomes.
  • Apply two practical tools and strategies to address workplace toxicity.
  • Describe three ways to promote a healthy and inclusive workplace culture.

Detailed Description:

In today’s workplace, toxicity can undermine employee morale, productivity, and overall organizational health. This workshop will explore evidence-based strategies for identifying and addressing toxic behaviors and practices within the workplace. Attendees will learn the warning signs of a toxic workplace as well as practical tools for addressing toxicity and fostering a healthier work culture. By leveraging evidence-based approaches, organizations can transform their work environments and enhance both employee well-being and organizational success.


Presenters

Clair Kueny's headshotClair Reynolds Kueny

Clair Reynolds Kueny is the Department Chair and an Associate Professor of Psychological Science at Missouri University of Science and Technology. She also serves as the program director for the I-O graduate programs at Missouri S&T. She received her MS and PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (with a concentration in quantitative behavior methods) from Saint Louis University. She specializes in applying organizational theories and research to specialized organizations including healthcare (particularly rural healthcare & oncology care), and higher education. Her research has also focused on unintended consequences of counterproductive work behaviors and proactive behavior at work. She has worked with a variety of teams and organizations (ranging from small businesses to healthcare to university leadership) to help them navigate interpersonal, leadership, and organizational-level dynamics. She is a member of Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (including a member of the prosocial I-O committee), American Psychological Association, and the Academy of Management, as well as serving as President of Gateway I-O Psychologists.

 

C. Allen Gorman's headshotC. Allen Gorman

C. Allen Gorman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Quantitative Methods in the Collat School of Business at UAB, where he teaches classes in Leadership and Human Resource Management. He is also the Chief Science Officer for Personality Pool, a human resource technology firm. His research interests fall within 5 broad domains: 1) job performance, 2) leadership, 3) training and development, 4) well-being at work, and 5) individual differences in work behavior. Allen's work has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, the Journal of Vocational Behavior, and the Journal of Business and Psychology. He is on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Business and Psychology, Human Performance, and the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, and he is a member of the Academy of Management, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science.

 


Thank you to our Evaluation Partner!

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Recommend a Thought Leader

Do you know a SIOP practitioner or researcher who is…

  •   Doing work on topics of critical relevance in the “new normal”  of the workplace?
  •   With great speaking/facilitation skills?

This is a great opportunity to showcase their thought leadership by recommending them (or yourself!) to present at a future Work Smart Series event.  Email the Work Smart Team
 


Past Events Include:

  • Understanding and Evaluating AI Solutions (August 14, 2024), PURCHASE NOW
  • Evidence-Based Strategies for Building Inclusive Workplaces (May 22, 2024)
  • Coaching to Accelerate the Development of Learning Agility. (February 21, 2024)
  • Measuring the Impact of Leadership Development (November 8, 2023)
  • The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Employee Psychological Safety (August 23, 2023)
  • Workplace Mistreatment: Science and Solutions (May 24, 2023)
  • Stories That Move Us (February 16, 2023)
  • Coaching Trends: Passing Fads or Future Fixtures? (November 9, 2022)
  • I³: Inspiring, Inclusive, & Influential Communication (August 18, 2022)
  • The “Great R”:  Reality, Response and Reset in a Post-Pandemic Workplace (June 7, 2022)
  • Battling Burnout in 2022: What Can Organizations Do Beyond Encouraging Self-Care? –  featuring Dr. Jacinta Jiménez, author of The Burnout Fix (February 17, 2022)
  • 5 Macro Human Capital Trends Impacting the Workplace Today –  featuring well-known psychologist, writer, and innovator Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (November 18, 2021)

 

 

Featured Articles:

Amber Stark

Evaluating, Adopting, and Integrating Generative AI

SIOP Member Christine Boyce, vice president, assessment and analytics for ManpowerGroup, defines generative AI (GenAI) as “AI that creates or generates something.”

She and SIOP Member Jean Stetz-Puchalski, managing principal for Individual Differences at Work, will explore this concept as coordinators of the Aug. 14 Work Smart Series virtual workshop, “Understanding and Evaluating AI Solutions.”

Understanding AI is a good tool to have as you’ve probably been using AI without knowing it.

“The ‘auto-complete’ feature in your emails is generative AI,” Boyce explains. So are customer service chat bots.

Other examples of commonly used AI, although not generative, are Amazon’s assistant, Alexa; the smartphone bot, Siri; and the search engine, Google. Even the TV show recommendations you see on Netflix and other streaming services are a form of AI. By some measurements, humans have been using AI for nearly a century.

By why is it such a buzzword now? The rise in user-friendly AI platforms is one reason.

Boyce draws parallels between AI and computer usage. “Think of the transition from typewriter to computer,” she advises. What might have once felt awkward is now nearly intuitive. When did you last see a work area that didn’t include a computer?

AI excels at tasks that can be standardized, but it goes a step further with projects like images for PowerPoint presentations, code writing, and even regression analysis or interview responses.

As shared in the recent SIOP white paper, How to Survive the AI Revolution in HR: Culture Change and Immediate Action, AI has both positive and negative potential. Although AI excels within its boundaries, it falters outside those boundaries.

AI feels “artificial” when its vocabulary includes phrases that seem empathetic or when its “creation” is a human emotion. That requires a human, Boyce says.

“AI augments but does not replace us,” she says. “We describe it as ‘keep the human in the loop.’”

The secret, then, is to use AI skills within its scope, letting it release humans from routine work so that they are freer to do what they do best: apply the human touch.

This is a smart use of organizational time, and organizational leaders who travel this middle path are more likely to meet or exceed goals. This releases them to help more people or get to the project they haven’t had time for yet.

Boyce and Stetz-Pulaski designed the upcoming Work Smart Series workshop to empower professionals with essential knowledge about GenAI.

“The workshop aims to bridge science and practice, offering a space for collective intelligence and community-level conversations with industry experts in GenAI,” Stetz-Puchalski says. “What is truly unique about this workshop is the opportunity for people to learn and then explore.”

This exploration will happen through questions that “address individual behavior as well as client, community, or organization-level discussions around perspectives and insights necessary to evaluate, adopt, and integrate GenAI.”

Visit the Work Smart Series webpage to learn more and register.

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About the Series


This SIOP offering provides virtual learning programs with exceptional content AND opportunities for meaningful, memorable interaction. The series is also intended to increase the visibility of industrial and organizational psychology and will be open to both SIOP members and nonmembers.

The world of work is in a period of rapid change and as I-O psychologists we have much to offer for creating a smarter workplace. In addition to participating yourself, we strongly encourage you to be SIOP ambassadors and invite non-member colleagues to take advantage of the Work Smart learning opportunities.

There is no better time to leverage the science of I-O psychology to make a difference! We hope you join us for [GREAT] Content + [FUN] Connection!

If you have any questions regarding the Work Smart Series or would like more information, please contact the Work Smart Team.


Become a Sponsor

This is an opportunity to sponsor creative, timely discussions on Work Smart series topics! Learn more: Work Smart Series Sponsorship Program


SIOP Work Smart Series Committee

Ali O'Malley (Chair)
Sarah Thomas (Chair-in-Training)
Chia-Lin Ho
Ian Katz
Terri McNelly
Crystal Turner
Jean Stetz-Puchalski
Megan Van Hoy