The domain of work and organisational psychology (WOP) covers the organisational and human resources (HR) aspects of enterprises and professional life generally, as well as consumer behaviour: the world of marketing and sales.
Work and organisational psychologists support organisations from a long-term perspective to optimise the behaviour and attitudes (including involvement and motivation) of their staff members. This can be achieved through recruitment & selection, training, coaching, consulting, change management & teambuilding, evaluation & feedback, compensation & benefits, social relations & law, job analyses, test development and research but also through diverse interventions related to for instance well-being (ergonomics, stress, safety, violence, work-life balance, etc.), counter-productive behaviour (bullying at work, absenteeism, lack of discipline, etc.), diversity and organisational structures, cultures, processes and strategies.
Common work places of work & organisational psychologists include personnel departments (HR departments), consultancy firms, training companies (especially for "people skills"), recruitment & selection bureaus, temporary job agencies, outplacement centres, market research companies, etc. Slightly less common work places of work & organisational psychologists include marketing and communication firms.
In the BFP there are two associations for work & organisational psychology:
- a Dutch language association: VOCAP
- a French language association: APTO