Professional Practice Committee Update

Mark L. Poteet

Greetings SIOP! As we approach the Annual Conference in Anaheim, I want to devote some time to update membership on the progress of several Professional Practice Committee (PPC) projects and goals, as well as to acknowledge the terrific work of the committee’s members in making this progress possible. SIOP is fortunate to have such an incredible team of professionals focused on helping advance the practice of I-O psychology and support I-O psychologists who practice.

SIOP practitioners and SHRM professionals have yet another resource for their development in the form of a new SHRM-SIOP Science of HR Series white paper, published on the SHRM and SIOP websites. The paper, entitled “Strategies for Engaging and Retaining Mature Workers,” was authored by Margaret E. Beier, can be found here. Additionally, a new work stream within this SHRM-SIOP collaboration has been piloted: the Joint Webinar Series. The webinars series is designed to help human resources professionals to learn about the science and evidence supporting human resources practices, presented by SIOP members. The first webinar presented in late January covered the subject of employee background checks and was presented by Michael Aamodt. It was very well attended by SHRM members, and review of feedback is underway to determine future directions of this work. Thanks to David Dubin and Jim Kurtessis for their excellent work in leading these efforts.

SIOP’s initiative to create Contemporary Selection Recommendations (CSR) for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made good strides in recent weeks. Specifically, the SIOP Task Force’s products (e.g., white papers) have been reviewed by several members of the EEOC. Additionally, at the time of this writing, several members of the Task Force and the PPC are scheduled to meet with leadership and technical staff from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to share feedback and comments, explore different ways in which the products can be used, establish next steps in the project, and discuss additional avenues for the collaborative work between SIOP and EEOC. Much thanks goes to Eric Dunleavy, Rich Tonowski, David Dubin, and Kyle Morgan for their persistent efforts with this initiative.

As can be seen in the current issue of TIP, there are two articles highlighting the work of the PPC. First, the third of several planned articles summarizing results of the 2015 Practitioner Needs Survey, authored by Ben Porr, Ted Axton, Meredith Ferro, and Soner Dumani, has been produced. This article covered practitioners’ views on practice areas where additional science and research would be beneficial. Second, Craig Wallace, Lynda Zugec, and I provide an introduction to a new TIP column focused on highlighting science-practice collaboration within I-O psychology. Going forward, while the PPC will work with the Scientific Affairs Committee (SAC) and TIP in overseeing and managing the production of articles, we are relying on the experiences and input of all of SIOP members to form the content for this column. Therefore, if you have examples or experiences with effective science-practice collaboration, please contact either Lynda (lynda.zugec@theworkforceconsultants.com) or Craig (craig.wallace@okstate.edu).

Reflecting science-practice collaboration, the PPC worked with the SAC and the Government Relations Advocacy Team to review and comment on proposed changes to the “Common Rule” published on-line in the Federal Register. The PPC focused its review of the proposed changes on their potential impact to the practice of I-O psychology. Special thanks goes to Jerilyn Hayward, Kyle Morgan, Ben Porr, and Donna Roland for their diligent efforts in reviewing the collective hundreds of pages and providing valuable feedback to support SIOP’s response.

Finally, given this time of the year, it is worth noting that over the last year there has been great progress in a number of the PPC’s goals and initiatives. Without question, this progress would not have been possible without the tremendous volunteer efforts of many committee members. Still, with some members preparing to transition off of the committee after dedicating three years of service, and with several current initiatives still underway (and potentially others planned!), additional help will always be needed and welcomed. If you have ever wanted to play a significant role in shaping SIOP’s efforts to enhance the practice of I-O psychology and are interested in working on some of the PPC’s initiatives, I strongly encourage you to register your interest on the Committee Volunteer System through the SIOP website. If you would like more information about the PPC’s activities or goals, want to learn more about volunteering for the committee, or have any feedback or ideas for how the PPC might further support the effective practice of I-O psychology, please contact me directly at mlpoteet@verizon.net.