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THE POINT - PTCMW Blog

Welcome to the The Point, PTCMW's Blog.

The blog is intended to be a space where we can share our latest research and applied approaches to highlight the passionate individuals and teams in our field.

As members, please feel free to post your comments and thoughts in relation to each article.

  • 04/20/2020 11:27 AM | Anonymous

    Hello PTCMW Members and Friends.

    We hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!

    Below are a few resources we thought would be useful to our members, especially due to work adjustments that are occurring based on the Covid-19 situation. Our goal is to collect these types of resources over time and provide to the membership as we have meaningful updates.  We hope this streamlined collection and dispersion of information is useful.

    EEOC

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) held a webinar earlier this month to answer questions regarding COVID19 and updated their pandemic guidance originally issued during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. You can click here to listen to the webinar and here for EEOC’s guidance.

    OPM

    The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), issued guidance (link) for telework-eligible employees who have caregiving responsibilities. With many states issuing stay-at-home orders, and the number increasing, we will likely see many agencies utilizing the guidance.

    SHRM

    The Society for Human Resources Management (SRHM) released an article in March highlighting preparedness for organizations. You can click here for the article.

    Other Resources

    We have also received articles and updates from members - from HumRRO, FMP Consulting, SIOP, and our 2019 Fall Event Speaker, Steven Rogelberg! Below is a listing of these resources:

    If you identify resources you think the broader PTCMW membership would find helpful, please pass them along. You can email the president at president.ptcmw@gmail.com.



  • 04/08/2020 4:28 PM | Anonymous

    The Almost One Month Telework Check-in

    Author: Lorin Mueller, with Gwen Fisher

    Like many of you, I am on my fourth week of teleworking. The first week was a scramble – what do we need to get done now and how are we going to do it? The second week was spent cleaning up all the messes from the first week. Last week was spent peering into my cloudy crystal ball to think about how we’re going to tackle the tough stuff if we can’t have face-to-face meetings for two more months. This week it’s time for a check-in: reflecting on what is working, what’s not, and how we can make it better. I reached out to Gwen Fisher, an expert on Occupational Health Psychology, to get some tips to share with the PTCMW Community on how to stay healthy and productive under these unusual and stressful circumstances.

    From Gwen:

    As you set up a remote workspace, please keep some occupational health issues in mind. First, pay attention to office-related ergonomics, so that you don’t end up with a strain-related injury due to poor posture and typing positions.

    Here is a free ergonomic checklist to see if you have set it up correctly:  https://ehs.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WorkstationErgonomicsAssessmentChecklist.pdf

    Take breaks and stretch. Here is a link with helpful information:  http://rmi.prep.colostate.edu/ergonomics/stretching-and-injury-prevention/

    Best practices for web conferences:

    • For conference calls, encourage people to join 5 at least minutes early and test the video/audio to make sure the technology is working so you don’t waste the first 5-10 minutes of the meeting doing this.
    • Know where the video on/off and mute on/off buttons are, and always know which is on/off. Don’t waste others’ time talking when accidentally muted, and make sure no one hears you when you flush the toilet.
    • If (when) you need to yell at your kids, you probably want to turn the mute button on first.
    • If you are only dressed from the waist up, do not stand up while on video.
    • If you are running the meeting, check in with everyone on the call periodically to make sure everyone is included.
    • Acknowledge and understand that everyone is dealing with extra stress during this time. Be as patient and as flexible as you can be.

    Beyond that, here are some additional recommendations for psychologically healthy and effective telework:

    • Have a designated work space that is separate from where you sleep and otherwise aim to relax.
    • If you have family members or roommates around, try to find a space with a door and use the door (i.e., close it when you are in this space working.
    • Set and communicate your planned work hours to help minimize interruptions. Setting physical and psychological barriers is helpful for managing work and non-work. The more you can set reasonable expectations among those around you, the more helpful boundaries can be.
    • Establish a start-work and close-work routine. (Mine consists of organizing the materials I need and having a cup of tea nearby, but placed so that I won’t accidentally spill it all over my laptop… been there, done that!)
    • Turn off audible and visible email notifications (dings, envelopes that appear on your screen) to help minimize cognitive interruptions.
    • Minimize distractions from other devices.
    • Take breaks! During this time, change your location, take a walk, drink water, get some exercise.
    • Don’t eat at your workspace – take a break for snacks and meals.

    For those of us who will be homeschooling our kids amidst work over the coming weeks, no doubt there will be some extra challenges! Set up a routine, stick to the schedule as much as possible, and communicate!

    Those are great recommendations. Reflecting on my current situation, I could probably improve in a few key areas: ergonomics, stretching, and not yelling at the kids during web conferences. A few other things I have added to my routine:  

    • Our leadership team has an informal weekly check-in to share information over “lunch”. It’s great to have some unstructured time to deal with odds and ends rather than have to rely on the flood of emails. It’s scheduled for an hour but we usually end it early.
    • Last week, I invited my team to a web conference check just to check on everyone’s mood – no work stuff. We each shared a highlight of working from home, our biggest challenge, and a shoutout to a team member who helped us out. It really seemed to lift people’s spirits.
    • I am repurposing all the lessons I learned from Steve Rogelberg at the Fall Event to apply to the dreaded Family Meetings, which have become may more frequent now that we’re all at home 24-7. Some truisms…
      • Have food available. We have four kids, so the law of large numbers dictates that at least one of them will complain about it at any given meal. It’s always good to have something in your mouth to keep you from yelling. And beverages for proper spit-takes.
      • Rather than make family meetings an hour, make them 45 minutes. You are a steward of your children’s time, and that time is apparently better spent on Fortnite.
      • Frame agenda items as questions. Rather than tell your child to make sure they don’t drop anything when they take the recycling out, ask them if they know why there are six soda cans on the lawn.
    I hope this has been helpful. And I hope you and everyone you care about is staying healthy in mind and body during while we do our part to get through this difficult time.


  • 10/09/2019 9:20 AM | Anonymous

    Career Pathways – Frameworks for Navigating Successful Careers in a Tumultuous Work World

    Author: Gary W. Carter

    PDRI

    There have been extraordinary changes in jobs and careers in recent years driven by rapid technological change and globalization of the economy. These changes have resulted in fundamental transformations in the skills needed to thrive in the workplace; the pace of change in skill requirements and tasks performed on jobs; how tasks are configured into jobs; how, where, when and by whom work is accomplished; and in how and through what organizational contexts services are procured. Put simply, these changes have profoundly affected careers throughout the world, with frequent job transitions and tens of millions of gig workers.

    Within this context, there have been many notable efforts in both the educational and workplace contexts to help individuals gain in-demand skills, hone the ability to proactively maintain and update their skill portfolios, and successfully navigate career pathways in an increasingly tumultuous world of work. The forthcoming edited volume entitled Career Pathways: From School to Retirement (J. Hedge and G. Carter, eds., Oxford University Press, in press) brings together a host of authors representing both educational and workplace perspectives from several countries to examine how a career pathways approach can help both individuals and organizations thrive in today’s world.

    As stressed by Hedge and Carter in the introductory chapter of the book:

    “It is important that educational institutions focus on building workforce skills and systematically prepare students for success in the complex, messy, shifting work environment that they will face throughout their careers. It is also important for persons in the workforce to proactively manage their careers by routinely updating their knowledge and skills, seeking out experiences to help them grow in their careers, and maintaining an awareness of potential next steps on their career paths. It is important for businesses to help build a workforce that is equipped to thrive in the ever-changing world of work. Adopting a career pathways framework and approach can help guide educational institutions in teaching students competencies that will increase their employability and can also help organizations develop people strategically, build engagement, and improve retention. Creating a more holistic, data-driven perspective on career progression—for individuals, organizations, and the workforce development community—increases the likelihood that sound, equitable, and beneficial decisions will be made by all stakeholders responsible for supporting and guiding career choices and career success across the life course” (Hedge and Carter, Ch. 1).


  • 06/24/2019 4:30 PM | Anonymous

    Hello from UMD Psychology! I wanted to invite the Personnel Testing Council to our "Everything I/O Psychology Event" we will be hosting here this coming fall. Please see details below. We will provide a lite dinner and some FREE gifts to those who participate. Just register HERE. We'd like to have one or two I/O Professional Associations at this event. I know our students will greatly benefit from PTCMW's participation. Thanks and hope to hear from you. 

    Everything I/O Psychology Event

    Wednesday, October 30, 2019

    5:00 pm-7:00 pm

    University of Maryland, College Park

    1140 A-B Biology Psychology Building

    Organizations register HERE

    *Limited space available

    This FREE event is an opportunity for undergraduate students to learn more about the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology inclusive of careers, graduate school, internships, professional associations/development, and research. The Event will follow a fair style format whereas student participants will have the opportunity to freely browse and navigate the different areas and organizations in attendance.  We hope your organization will consider participating! Register HERE

    Steve Young

    Academic Advisor

    SONA Administrator/Undergraduate Internship Coordinator/Instructor 

    University of Maryland

    Department of Psychology

    College Park, MD 20742

    syoung17@umd.edu

    Tel: 301.405.5866


  • 06/14/2019 3:46 PM | Anonymous

    Good afternoon PTCMW Members and friends!

    This issue of the PTCMW newsletter covers important upcoming events, news from around the industry, and provides a brief update on our recent past events, membership and financial operations.

    Upcoming Events

    There is still room for folks to attend the June 18th workshop at GW, “The diversity characteristic that affects us all… eventually: A primer on contemporary EEO issues related to age.” The workshop will be conducted by Eric Dunleavy and Don Lustenburger of DCI Consulting, and Martha Hennen of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. This is an incredibly important topic for the aging federal workforce, not to mention private sector employers running into hiring issues related to low levels of unemployment and encore career applicants. If you want a better understanding of how age discrimination relates to other forms of discrimination, from legal, measurement, and intervention perspectives, this is a fantastic workshop, and a great value. The workshop is only $40 for members, $50 for non-members, and now FREE for students with code: workshop2019. Register here: http://ptcmw.org/event-3418060

    On July 24th, we have an educational event at McCormick & Schmick’s in Crystal City, VA, led by Gilad Chen, PhD of the University of Maryland, entitled “The state of I-O psychology research: Where have we been and where are we going?” Dr. Chen is a recent editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP), and will cover some key issues from the JAP Centennial Issue as well as important research and publication trends from recent history and the foreseeable future. This presentation is sure to be thought-provoking for those of us looking for new ways to integrate new thinking into our practice. Register here: http://ptcmw.org/event-3418082

    By the way, if you’ve never attended an event at McCormick and Schmick’s, it’s a great venue for PTCMW. It’s right on the blue and yellow lines, so it’s very convenient for Metro riders. There is also free parking at 4 PM in all the underground Crystal City lots. The venue provides free appetizers and wine, and the event is during happy hour if you prefer something else. After the event, there are plenty of nearby bars and great restaurants for dinner, including right there at M&S.   

    We’re also planning a networking happy hour in late July or early August. Be on the lookout – registration should open within the next few days.

    We will also be making announcements soon about the Fall Event, Student Consulting Challenge, and seeking nominations for the PTCMW Service Award. So keep checking your email!

    Industry News

    Register now for IPAC 2019! The International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC) conference runs from July 14-17th in Minneapolis, MN. The theme is “MAX Assessments in MINneapolis”, which is a pretty good one if I am judging it in terms of dad humor. IPAC is always a top notch educational and networking conference for folks doing work in the private sector. More information: http://ptcmw.org/blog/7577261

    The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is seeking ideas for Merit Systems Studies. If you don’t know about the MSPB’s work, it’s amazing. Their website and newsletters are incredibly informative resources for understanding how the federal hiring, evaluation, and promotion system works and much of their work can easily be applied to private sector applications. More information: http://ptcmw.org/blog/7577289    

    PTCMW Update

    We’ve had an exciting 2019! PTCMW continues to put on thought-provoking and productive educational events, and we’ve been happy to provide networking opportunities for members and friends to get together in a professional environment.

    The Point Blog. The PTCMW board is constantly reviewing our operations, event, and partnerships to better understand how we can provide better services to our members. As a first step in that process, Andrew Naber, the PTCMW Membership Committee chair, reviewed the data from our member database. The results are very interesting. You can read Andrew’s article here: http://ptcmw.org/blog/7570078

    The next step in this process is to conduct a member survey to evaluate how PTCMW is doing and how we can serve you better. We will eventually use that information to conduct some strategic planning regarding the future of PTCMW. So be on the lookout for that survey! Your feedback is highly valued and if you have any thoughts about how we can serve you better, we would love to hear them!

    Events. We had some terrific events in the first few months of 2019. Past President Josh Isaacson started us off with a fantastic presentation about knowing when is the right time to make a job change, and how to do it when you do. He drew on personal experience as well as getting input from other PTCMW Past Presidents. In February, UMBC and Past President Matt Fliesher hosted our Career Panel, featuring insights from Amanda Allen (Edison Electric Institute), Funda Sinani (The World Bank Group), Kayo Sady (Amazon), and Matisha Montgomery (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The event was well attended and got great reviews! In March, we went technical with Mike Aamodt discussing issues relating to the persistent wage gap, how we can better measure it, and what we as I-O psychologists can do about it. Mike always finds great ways to make the technical stuff more tangible. In April we had researchers from UVA-Darden and SHL come in to talk about leader derailment. Jasmein Khattab led the presentation with input from Mark Van Buren and Morela Hernandez. The presentation led to a rich discussion about identifying leaders at risk for derailment and what we can do about it. In May, Rich Cober (MicroStrategy), Julisara Mathew (US Dept. of State), and Allison Yost (BetterUp) discussed alternative career paths for I-O psychologists. The panel shared terrific insights on how the tools you gain through studying and working as an I-O can be utilized in a wide variety of work settings.

    All of these presentations are available to members in the webcast library. Make sure you log into your PTCMW account and follow the link under “Events”. It’s a great benefit of membership to be able to revisit these presentations when you find yourself recalling their relevance!

    While all of that was going on PTCMW served as a sponsor for the SIOP Conference at National Harbor. PTCMW sponsored the Newcomer Reception and made several good connections with people new to I-O psychology, many of whom will be in the DC region in the near future. We also had an ad in the conference program and hosted an unbelievably well-received hospitality suite with IPAC. Lastly, we established a number of connections with local I-O groups from other regions to exchange information on how to keep these organizations providing high levels of service to members in an ever-changing world.

    Budget. Lastly, financially, PTCMW is financially well-positioned, but this year we had a number of unique expenses that have affected our net cash position in a negative direction. First and foremost, the SIOP activities represented a unique opportunity to reach out to potential new members now and in the near future, to enhance our relationship with SIOP, and to provide additional networking opportunities for our members. From what we’ve seen, that expenditure was justified. We did get a few new members, we made lots of contacts with SIOP student members, we have a few joint projects moving along with SIOP (which will be announced soon), and we received a lot of positive feedback about our networking event with IPAC.    

    Second, we needed to replace the PTCMW laptop and some accessories so that we could provide more reliable webcast service. If you attended a webcast in late 2018 or early 2019, you might have noticed a high rate of technical glitches. In some cases, we issued refunds as a result. We updated our equipment, and delivery method, and that seems to have addressed the problems. Special thanks goes out to Semret Yibass for her work on this issue!

    We’re looking for sponsors for our educational events. So if your organization is interested in sponsoring a PTCMW educational or networking event, please let us know: president.ptcmw@gmail.com.

    Cheers!

    The PTCMW Board      


  • 06/13/2019 8:55 AM | Anonymous

    The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) conducts studies of the executive branch workforce to ensure that Federal personnel management continues to be implemented consistent with the merit system principles and free from prohibited personnel practices. Most studies are drawn from a multi-year research agenda that MSPB develops after reviewing suggested topics from the public. MSPB is updating that agenda and seeks suggestions about possible topics of study.

    MSPB has conducted research on many aspects of Federal workforce management, including employee recruitment and selection; fair treatment; employee development, motivation and engagement; and effective management. Recent studies have addressed topics such as preventing nepotism in the Federal civil service, training and development in the Senior Executive Service, adverse personnel actions, and how the merit system principles guide management of the Federal workforce. MSPB study publications are available at www.mspb.gov/studies.

    MSPB will solicit research ideas from Federal employees and supervisors, unions and other employee groups, agency Chief Human Capital Officers, and other stakeholders during the next several weeks. We also invite the public’s participation in identifying the most important workforce management issues facing the Federal government. Anyone interested in providing input to this effort may use the feedback form available through the “Research Agenda 2020” link at www.mspb.gov under “Of Note” (the preferred method) or may email ideas to researchagenda2020@mspb.gov. All submissions received may be posted, without change, to MSPB’s website (www.mspb.gov) and may include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. There is no requirement to include any personal information with your submission.

    MSPB is an independent, quasi-judicial agency that protects the merit system principles and promotes an effective Federal workforce free of prohibited personnel practices.

    Contact:      Vernetta Johnson                                 

                         (202) 254-4517                                      

                         TDD/Videophone Users:

                         Please Call Via Relay


  • 06/13/2019 8:53 AM | Anonymous

    The International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC) conference is rapidly approaching, and we are very excited to share that IPAC has been named one of the "Best Government Conferences of 2019" by GovLoop. IPAC is the leading organization of applied HR selection and assessment professionals, with members actively engaged in practice, research, and training to meet the needs of both public and private-sector organizations.  Our annual conference provides a venue for thought leadership, best practices, and networking with top professionals, academics, and talent in HR, I-O Psychology, and related fields.

    Practitioners and academics will be traveling from all over the world to join us in Minneapolis, Minnesota from July 14-17th.  We currently have a wide range of international and domestic presenters from over 20 different organizations.  Join us as we explore this year's conference theme: "MAX Assessments in MINneapolis!"

    If you are interested in attending the conference in any capacity or would like additional information, please contact Lindsay McFarlane at Conference@ipacweb.org or visit our conference website. If your organization is interested in partnering with IPAC through becoming a sponsor, please reach out to Alexis Avery at sponsor@ipacweb.org

  • 06/10/2019 9:26 AM | Anonymous

    Andrew Naber has created a membership update. Please see the attached document.


    PTCMW Membership Update.docx

  • 05/28/2019 10:55 AM | Anonymous

    Author: Emilee Tison

    Come join us for our upcoming speaker series! Here is what we have on the books for the next few months:

    May 29, 2019 – Panel Presentation:

    Taking the Path Less Traveled: Non-Traditional I-O Roles

    Richard Cober (MicroStrategy), Julisara Mathew (U.S. Department of State), and Allison Yost (BetterUp) will provide insights and experiences from their I-O careers – highlighting how the I-O skill set can be leveraged across a variety of settings, even in seemingly non-traditional roles.

    Shonna Waters(BetterUp) will moderate this session.

    http://www.ptcmw.org/event-3376072

    June 18, 2019 - Workshop:

    The diversity characteristic that affects us all ….eventually: A Primer on contemporary EEO issues related to age

    Eric M. Dunleavy (DCI Consulting Group), Martha E. Hennen (U.S. Security and Exchange Commission), and Don Lustenberger (DCI Consulting Group) will review recent case law and EEO agency activity, and focus on key issues in evaluating, both legally and analytically, age-related EEO and civil rights issue.

    http://www.ptcmw.org/event-3418060

    July 24, 2019 - Presentation:

    The state of I-O Psychology research: Where have we been, and where are we going?

    Gilad Chen (University of Maryland) will summarize key milestones and trends in the I-O psychology research (based on the recent JAP Centennial Issue), discussing emerging trends and the important interplay between academic/scientific and practice/applied issues in the field.

    http://www.ptcmw.org/event-3418082


  • 05/23/2019 1:06 PM | Anonymous

    Author: Lorin Mueller

    The 2019 SIOP Conference at National Harbor represented a good opportunity for PTCMW to broaden our reach. PTCMW worked with SIOP to make the most of these opportunities. Below are some of the highlights of PTCMW’s activities at the conference. 

    • In exchange for helping promote the conference locally, SIOP gave PTCMW a discount on sponsoring the Newcomer Reception. PTCMW leadership and volunteers attended the reception, passed out some leftover giveaways from previous Fall Events, and introduced ourselves to new prospective members. The PTCMW Board thought the Newcomer Reception was a good opportunity to identify new SIOP members who are local to the DC area, or soon would be. We also promoted the PTCMW webcasts to people who were not local to the DC area.
    • As part of the sponsorship, PTCMW got a full page ad in the program. We offered a discount to new members in the month of April. A few people have made use of this discount and presuming that they attend a few PTCMW events and maintain their membership for more than a year, the expenditure should be cost-effective, other benefits of sponsorship notwithstanding.   
    • PTCMW leadership participated in a couple of executive sessions focused on local I/O groups. We made some good connections and shared some ideas on the topics of maintaining a leadership pipeline, getting routine maintenance activities done, identifying event speakers, and generating revenue.
    • As an exclamation point on the conference, PTCMW and IPAC jointly sponsored a hospitality suite for our members and a few guests. To describe it as “wildly successful” would be an understatement. Although we had some hiccups getting the room set up, the event was highly attended, and guests reported having a great time. Several people noted that it was the highlight of their conference. It was great seeing our members relax and connect after a long day of conference activities.

    Many thanks to everyone who volunteered to help out with the conference! We expect to see the benefits of our efforts pay off in the years to come.


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