SIOP Work Smart Series Workshops Offer Evidence-Based Perspectives on Employee and Organizational Sustainability

The SIOP Work Smart series concluded its 2024 programming with two well-received sessions. The Combating the Toxic Workplace workshop in November brought SIOP members and nonmembers together to promote healthy and inclusive workplace cultures. The workshop was facilitated by Dr. C. Allen Gorman (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Dr. Clair Reynolds Kueny (Missouri University of Science and Technology). Allen discussed how toxic workplaces are fear based and lack psychological safety, emphasizing the toll toxicity takes through linkage to outcomes such as attrition and depression. Clair then explored how organizations can transform to support healthy and inclusive workplaces through a full system assessment, action planning, implementation, and reinforcement. Using the tools provided, participants designed interventions to address workplace toxicity and devised implementation action plans.

The December Work Smart Series workshop Strengthening Employee Value Through Sustainability Practices featured I-O psychologists Dr. Hannes Zacher (Leipzig University) and Dr. Mano Ramakrishnan (Carrie Mano Limited) in partnership with Beth Anne McPheeters, a leader at Syneos Health. Hannes synthesized the research on employee green behavior, clarifying how it is a form of work performance that contributes to environmental sustainability. Importantly, employee green behavior cuts across task performance, team performance, and organizational performance. Beth Anne then discussed how she leads her company’s ESG strategy, emphasizing the importance of tailoring influence efforts. Mano then introduced a framework for green leadership that reinforced the need to position sustainability as a strategic enabler of business goals.

The SIOP Work Smart Series Committee is grateful to Allen, Beth Anne, Clair, Hannes, and Mano for leading these innovative and impactful sessions. Further, we wish to acknowledge the important contributions of workshop coordinators Chia-Lin Ho, Ian Katz, Terri McNelly, and Megan Van Hoy.

You can still purchase access to the November and December Work Smart Series workshop recordings, all materials that were shared, and additional resources on the SIOP Work Smart Series Resources webpage through December 31, 2024. (Please note that breakout sessions were not recorded). And even if you were able to attend, these are workshops you will benefit from revisiting!

For more information about sponsoring this SIOP learning channel, please contact Susan Rogers at srogers@siop.org.  If you have questions or ideas for the SIOP Work Smart Series Committee, please email WorkSmart@siop.org.

SIOP Work Smart Series Committee looks forward to being back with you on June 11, 2025, for The Science of Meetings!