What Is an Occupational Psychologist?

Have you been researching the question: “What is an occupational psychologist?” If so, this article on occupational psychologists has helpful information, including details on how to become an occupational psychologist.

If you’re interested in psychology, the good news is there are a wide range of specific career options to pursue—from clinical psychologist to occupational psychologist.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into everything you may be wondering about occupational psychologists.

What do occupational psychologists do?

If you’re interested in workplace dynamics, pursuing a career as an occupational psychologist could be a fulfilling career path.

First, let’s answer the question: What is an occupational psychologist? What do they do? And what steps do you need to take to become an occupational psychologist?

The role of an occupational psychologist can vary from business to business, however, some responsibilities of occupational psychologists—also known as industrial-organizational (I/O) psychologists—can include:

Hiring

Businesses might work with an occupational psychologist to create and/or improve their hiring processes. For example, an occupational psychologist might evaluate a company’s hiring practices and make changes to be more inclusive—or they might develop assessments, tests, and interview questions to better screen candidates for each role.

Employee performance

“I/O psychologists partner with the business to elevate human performance,” says Dr. Ciela Hartanov, an I/O psychologist with two decades of experience in tech and the CEO and founder of boutique consulting firm humcollective. 

Occupational psychologists can elevate employee performance in a number of ways. 

For example, they might create performance review frameworks, design a feedback program to foster employee growth, or conduct a study to determine what is holding employees back from reaching peak productivity. Then, they can suggest changes the organization needs to make to overcome those challenges and empower their employees to get more done.

Workplace design

Design can play a huge role in how well a business—and the employees within that business—perform. 

A company might engage an occupational psychologist for their insights into how to more effectively design the workplace to foster more collaboration, creativity, or productivity. For example, this might include the layout, where each team/department should be located within the office, ergonomics, and what tools to include in each workstation.

Change management

When an organization goes through a big change (for example, a change in leadership or a reduction in workforce), it can throw things into chaos. In that situation, an occupational psychologist would work with leadership to effectively navigate the changes in a way that preserves employee well-being, safety, and company culture.

Training

I/O psychologists might also train employees on topics related to psychology—for example, how to handle workplace conflict or how to be a more effective manager.

Leadership development

Speaking of how to be a more effective manager, occupational psychologists often work with higher-ups within the company on how to be a better leader and how to more effectively support their team.

Wellness initiatives

Employee well-being is extremely important—not just for employees, but for the company as well. Employees can’t reach their full potential if they’re stressed, overwhelmed, and burned out!. 

Sometimes, however, stress, overwhelm, and burnout may be a part of the company culture. In that case, the company might hire an occupational psychologist to evaluate the current culture, identify what’s causing employees to experience burnout, and then suggest changes to create a more supportive, wellness-centric environment for team members.

Culture improvement

A toxic workplace culture causes all sorts of issues, from low morale to high turnover. If leadership thinks their culture is keeping them from hiring or retaining top talent, they may bring in an occupational psychologist to figure out what’s currently wrong with their work environment—and create a plan to improve the company culture and deal with any internal toxicity.

Conflict resolution

Industrial-organizational psychologists may also be called in to improve a company’s approach to conflict resolution—or to directly mediate conflict within the company. 

For example, a company might hire an occupational psychologist to work with the leadership team on how to overcome conflicts and differences in management style.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Occupational psychologists might also spearhead or support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the company. For example, this includes making sure hiring practices bring in diverse candidates and that the organization’s pay scale and structure are equitable. 

Research and data analysis

I/O psychologists may also conduct research in order to evaluate the workplace and get the data they need to create change—for example, research on employee satisfaction or the effectiveness of internal training programs. 

An occupational psychologist may also analyze data (both from their own studies and other sources)—and use their analysis to make recommendations for improvement.

Who do occupational psychologists work with?

Occupational psychologists work in the business space. But who, exactly, do they work with?

That depends on their role. In many cases, occupational or industrial-organizational psychologists work directly with organizational leadership.

 “I/O psychologists often partner with the most senior leaders in an organization in order to effect change,” says Hartanov. “However, the work they do impacts the entire organization.”

In other cases, an occupational psychologist may work directly with employees. For example, if they’re conducting research on the company culture, they may interview employees for their experience.If they’re overhauling hiring practices, they may work directly with hiring managers on optimizing the interview process by sitting in on interviews, collaborating on interview questions, or offering feedback on their sourcing strategy.

Even though occupational psychologists might not work directly with employees (since the work they’re doing is often tied to larger initiatives like company culture or performance management), employees are absolutely impacted by their work.

Where do occupational psychologists work?

Occupational psychologists work with businesses across a variety of industries—so, if you’re looking for a career path that offers diverse opportunities, industrial-organizational psychology could be a great option.

“All fields of business can benefit from the work I/O psychologists offer—from high tech to healthcare to non-profit organizations to hospitality,” says Hartanov. “For example, I have worked with software engineers, legal professionals, non-profit executives, and more.”

In terms of the roles industrial-organizational psychologists hold at work, the titles can vary based on the company and their specific job duties and responsibilities.

Some for occupational psychologist job titles include:

• Talent Development Manager
• Organizational Development Consultant
• Human Resources Director
• Workplace Well-Being Specialist
• Employee Relations Manager
• Leadership Coach
• Performance Analyst
• Learning and Development Consultant
• Occupational Health Consultant
• Ergonomics Specialist

Occupational psychologists can also vary in how they work. 

For example, an occupational psychologist might:

• Work directly for the company (for example, as an HR officer, talent manager, or DEI officer)
• Work at an outside consultancy contracted by the company
• Have a private practice and work with a variety of businesses

So, whether you’re looking for a traditional full-time 9-to-5 job, or you want to open your own private practice, there are opportunities within the occupational psychology field that will give you the structure or flexibility you’re looking for.

How to become an occupational psychologist

Are you considering occupational psychology as a career path? 

If so, here are the steps to take:

Get your bachelor’s degree

Occupational psychologists need an advanced degree. However, before you can get your advanced degree, you need to get your undergraduate degree—which is why getting your bachelor’s in psychology is the first step in launching a career as an occupational psychologist.

Get your master’s degree 

Next up is a master’s degree. “Most I/O psychologists have at least a Master’s in the field,” says Hartanov. 

With a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology, you can land a number of more junior or entry-level roles within an organization.

Get your doctorate

If you want to qualify for more advanced jobs in occupational psychology and/or work with leadership on larger company initiatives, you may also want to pursue a doctorate (PhD or PsyD).

Determine your niche

Once you’re finished with school, it’s time to start looking for jobs. But occupational psychology is a broad field with a lot of different types of opportunities—so before you apply for any roles, it can be helpful to narrow in on what area of occupational psychology you want to work in and what kind of role you think would be a good fit. 

For example, if you want to work directly with leadership, you might consider going after leadership coaches—or, if you want to focus on research, you might look for a more analytics-based role.

How much can occupational psychologists earn?

Now you know all the key facts about occupational psychologists, including what they do, where and how they work, and what you need to do to get into the field. 

Another question you may want answered is, “How much money can an occupational psychologist make?”

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2023, wages for industrial-organizational psychologists run between $45,860 (for the 10th percentile in the field) to $219,810 (for the 90th percentile)—with the median wage sitting at $147,420 per year.

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