Good things come in threes. Or so the old saying goes. But that was certainly the case with our trio of new colleagues who joined Work Psychology Group at the end of 2021.
In November we welcomed Charley Bond, Yahya Adnan and Lana Delic to WPG, adding to our roster of psychologists.
Now we’ve given our new organisational psychologists a chance to settle in, we caught it was about time we caught up with them, to find out what makes them tick.
1. What made you want to work as an organisational psychologist (OP)?
Charley says: “I think the biggest attraction to organisational psychology was being able to help improve people’s work lives. The majority of people spend most of their life working, and I think there’s so many different factors that contribute to whether someone enjoys their work life. And, as a result, this means there are so many ways to improve their working life. Organisational psychology helps do that.”
2. What’s the best thing about your job?
“People and organisations are complex,” Yahya says. “That means the challenges we face, also tend to be quite complex. Being able to problem-solve is a valuable skill that I enjoy utilising, because usually by the end of a challenge, I can see I’ve made a positive impact in some way.”
3. What are your pre-WPG career highlights?
Lana says: “During my undergraduate degree, I had a module on selection and assessment. This is how I was first introduced to Occupational Psychology and lead me to look into it. I really enjoyed learning about how the tests are constructed and the psychology behind them. What I love most about OP is the variety in the role and that it allows me to experience working in many different sectors, which is a unique perk.
“Having only graduated in late 2019, I would have to say having a book chapter published in an OP book and attending OP conferences were some career highlights.”
4. What attracted you to working at WPG?
Charley says: “Having recently graduated from university, the thing that stood out the most was WPG’s use of evidence-based practice. I felt that this bridged the gap between the academic and working world. I was also interested in WPG’s focus on the individual – both with clients and employees, designing bespoke tests for each client and the focus on employee development.”
5. What are your areas of expertise and interests?
Yahya tells us: “I’m interested in the development and growth of organisations undergoing change, as well as assessment and selection processes in high stake settings. What stands out in both areas is the impact of individual differences. I have previous experiences in leading teams, as well as applying theory for practice. For example, applying cultural competency for within an organisation.”
6. What makes you cross?
Charley says: “Receiving junk emails really annoys me especially when they look so realistic!”
Lana says: “Large crowds of slow walkers when I am in a rush to get somewhere (probably the Londoner in me). Technology can also make me cross when it glitches or is particularly slow.”
While Yahya explains: “When I have a slow internet speed but lots of things to get done.”
7. What sort of a work mate are you?
“I like to think I’m an optimistic work mate,” Charley says.
While Lana tells us: “I am the work mate who has an endless supply of questions.”
And Yahya adds: “I tend to ask some questions when trying to understand what I’m doing. Once that’s out of the way, I hope to be a helpful work mate that can be relied upon!”
8. What are some of the key challenges organisations are facing today in the workplace?
Yahya says: “The COVID-19 pandemic has, and continues to, cause changes to what the workplace looks like. Working from home and hybrid working have emerged as solutions. It’s worthwhile considering how individual differences could react, positively or negatively, to both these and attempts to return to pre-pandemic work styles.”
Charley says: “I think one of the big challenges organisations are facing at the moment is trying to bring people back into the office after working remotely for so long. People’s working habits and preferences have changed and as a result, policies need to be implemented that are flexible enough for individuals to decide what works best for them.”
Lana says: “There are many challenges organisations face every day. however, how to increase equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace is one of the main ones. Both in terms of attracting and selecting diverse talent. But also retaining them.”
