Personal experience: do companies need a corporate psychologist

Since the spring of 2021, a corporate psychologist has been working at the Extyl IT company to help employees develop and cope with problems.

Why does the company need a psychologist

Staff hunger in the IT industry is increasingPersonnel hunger / Lenta.ru from year to year. At the same time, the very development of complex digital products is a stressful process, during which it is easy to burn out. And the current era, with its covid limitations and permanent crises, is fertile ground for alarm.

Now it is important for employers not only to provide employees with comfortable chairs, interesting tasks and delicious free coffee, but also to help them maintain mental health. This is exactly what a corporate psychologist is needed for. He constantly communicates with employees of the company, conducts trainings and courses, resolves conflicts. As a result, staff turnover decreases: people do not burn out and less likely to want to leave because of personal differences.

It is equally important that the corporate psychologist works in the organization on a permanent basis. He becomes a true member of the team and is imbued with the values ​​of the company. Unlike a third-party specialist, such a person is able to explain leadership ideas and provide managers with feedback.

How does a corporate psychologist work

He has several main tasks.

Organizes collective trainings

The person remembers A. Dianov. "The Brain: A Popular Encyclopedia" up to 90% of what he does and says at the same time. Therefore, training is a great way to quickly teach employees something through coaching.

Our psychologist regularly conducts trainings. One of the most effective is the role-playing game "Customer - Performer". During it, employees act out real work situations, and then, together with a psychologist, analyze what happened. The specialist advises how to properly respond to manipulation, build communication, manage the dialogue and understand the feelings of the client.

Consults leaders

Now it's easier for them to follow motivation employees and notice emerging problems. The psychologist constantly observes the relationships in the team and sometimes understands the history of the conflict or difficulties even better than the leader.

Once, two managers at once came to a psychologist with complaints about one employee. The specialist explained that the problem is not in the person, but in the learning and adaptation processes within the company. After this incident, we began to teach employees in a new way personal time management and correct communication with clients. And it worked: the problem was settled.

In general, this practice helps leaders develop emotional intelligence. The psychologist explains how to notice details, how to monitor the needs and state of employees, what questions to ask and what to do in conflict situations.

Acts as a mediator

Conflicts in the workplace are not uncommon. The deadlines may be burning, the views on the process may not converge, resentment or rivalry may arise. The task of a psychologist is to understand the reasons and translate disagreements into a constructive channel.

Let's say a developer proposes to apply a new technology, but the team leader realizes that such an option is economically unprofitable and is unlikely to please the customer. It is the psychologist who will talk with both of them, find out their motivation and tell you how to negotiate. He will try to make conflict constructive, to transfer the dispute from the plane of personal accusations to the discussion of business issues.

A neutral gaze helps disputants better understand each other and work more efficiently.

Creates individual development plans for employees

When an employee passes the probationary period, the corporate psychologist, together with the HRs, determines the strengths of the newcomer and his growth zones. Based on the analysis, an employee development plan is developed. The document explains what skills you need to upgrade to advance to the next professional grade, and gives advice on how to do it.

Collaboration between a psychologist and HR professionals helps to better understand what goals should be set for the employee and what to expect in the future. For example, one employee will be a great leader and another will be an invaluable performer.

Helps to organize remote work

Being in the office makes it much easier to keep the boundaries between home and work, solve urgent issues together and just communicate with colleagues, therefore get used to remote access can be tricky.

A psychologist can also help with this. He will explain how to divide work and rest, how to communicate with the team and get used to endless online meetings. So, some of our employees began to apply the method Pomodoro, while others agreed with their colleagues on "golden hours", that is, on periods of intense work, which is better not to be interrupted.

How to evaluate the results of the work of a psychologist

There are both more objective indicators and less.

Using anonymous employee surveys

To begin with, it makes sense to analyze the mood of people. In our company, we use 360 ​​° assessment: employees anonymously assess the work and quality of their colleagues. The latest survey has shown that workers have become more friendly to each other.

Using statistics

The key indicator is reduced turnover. The psychologist helps fight burnout, suggests how to motivate employees, and mediates during team conflicts. This has a positive effect on the loyalty of employees, who not only receive a decent salary, but also feel better. Over the past six months, we have already seen a positive trend.

Through customer surveys

This will help evaluate the effectiveness of the trainings. We carry out a scoring according to the level of satisfaction clients once a quarter and we see that the indicators are gradually growing.

How to find a corporate psychologist

We were looking for a specialist in all available ways: on sites with vacancies, by recommendations and just on social networks. As a result, they trusted the advice of their colleagues. The production department assistant was responsible for the searches themselves, and the top managers of the company participated in the selection of candidates.

In the search process, we went through a variety of evaluation criteria. From having a higher education in the field of "psychology" to motivation and charisma. For us, the most important points were the alignment of values ​​and the experience of working with employees within the companies.

Before making the final decision, it is better to make a personal impression of competence psychologist. For example, attend his seminar or training to evaluate the specialist's ability to work with a group of people. If this is not possible, you should at least watch the recordings of public speeches. So you can understand how a specialist thinks, how open, emotional or restrained, inclined towards a practical or theoretical approach.