Psychology in the Workplace

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Timothy Ludwig, Ph.D., was appointed to serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies™ (CCBS) during its 2014 Annual Meeting of the Trustees recently held in Atlanta, Georgia.

This time of year makes the best of us reflective and after doing some soul searching and reflecting I came up with a short list of things I think we as professionals can do to be even more effective:

Would the holidays be the same without some materialism in the mix? In today’s consumer society, what does it mean to be materialistic, and is that necessarily a bad thing? Psychologists have conducted research that has helped answer those questions and many more.

1. Forget perfection - Stop obsessing over doing it all. 2.Take a whiff of citrus - Researchers studying depression have found that certain citrus fragrances boost feelings of well-being and alleviate stress by upping levels of norepinephrine, a hormone that affects mood.

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) professionals have to make many decisions on a daily basis. These decisions can involve risk assessment methods, preventive workplace measures, workers’ health surveillance or even rehabilitation or return-to-work practices.

Employees who report being bullied on the job are at increased risk of developing depression, reports a study in the December Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Women, more than men, find it difficult to say “No” to excessive workplace requests. Saying “No” without guilt feelings and jeopardizing personal and professional relationships and performance evaluations is not easy to do

What a wonderful time I had with my wife, my daughter, my awesome son-in-law and our two grandchildren for 11 days in Orlando, Florida. We, of course, did several days at Disney World and one day with my friends at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center.

The effects of globalization can be witnessed in so many aspects of our lives, including occupational safety and health (OSH). Firms are facing increasing pressure to remain competitive and, although implementing organizational changes may be necessary, they may result in new risks to workers' well-being.