You probably have noticed this already; but as a work psychologist I can reconfirm that the world of work has changed forever. Retaining talent and keeping people employable are common challenges; no one has a job for life.

 

Although this has been known by work psychologists for 25 years, most people still think about their work in pretty much the same way as they always have. Companies still expect those who work for them to spend all the hours there are on the job and to be loyal to them, even though they are unwilling to guarantee them employment for their careers. And workers still expect those for whom they work to find that work for them. In other words, workers want to just "show up," put in their time, and get paid for it. If they happen to do something valuable while they're there, then that's a bonus.

 

I’m Dr. Bruce Hoag, and I'm a work psychologist. I have a simple goal, and that's to help people in the workplace. If you’re an HR manager, then retaining talent is a top priority; I can show you how to accomplish this while saving your company time and thousands of dollars.

 

For those of you who are employed, My work psychologist knowledge can help you stay employable. Some of my work psychologist advice includes how to deal with difficult bosses and improve your interpersonal communications skills.

 

You can read more about me and my mission on the About page. And don’t forget to read my work psychologist blog, called Another Fine Mess, which describes how people goof up what's really important. Just think: It'll keep you from making the same embarrassing mistakes!

 

As a work psychologist, I can tell you that traditional working methods are no longer appropriate because, whether you realize it or not, most people are independent contractors to a greater or lesser extent regardless of what the Internal Revenue or Inland Revenue Services have to say. The Industrial Revolution created employers on a scale that hadn't been seen before. In the 130 or so years from the mid-19th to the late 20th centuries, just about everyone was guaranteed their position for life. In the trades, they did their jobs and their sons took over when they came of age, and so on. In the factories, sons also tended to follow in their fathers' footsteps, working alongside them until the latter retired.

 

That's all changed. These independent contractors (nee employees) are now contracted for fixed periods of time that are often quite short; usually no more than a few years, and often much less. These is because no company will guarantee them jobs for life, no matter how good or how loyal they've been.

 

That means that new leadership traits must be identified, and new management styles must replace the traditional ones. Supervisors must learn how to motivate people and how to stop demotivating them.

In addition, these independent contractors (nee employees) need to be contracted for the value they bring and paid for what they deliver, rather than for the time it takes them to do the work.