Challenges and transformations in the performance of organizational and work psychologists in the state of Rio Grande do Norte during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The role of organizational psychologists originated during World War I and established itself in Brazil from 1926, being applied to workplace contexts to this day. However, the Covid-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to the field, accelerating changes in the work models of these professionals. To investigate the performance of organizational and work psychologists (OWPs) during the Covid-19 pandemic in the State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), from 2021 to 2022. A descriptive qualitative study based on the analysis of responses from 14 OWPs practicing in RN during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the sample, the majority of participants were female (78.57%), 57.14% held tactical positions, and 71.43% were employed under the formal employment regime (CLT), with professional experience ranging from 8 months to 22 years. The predominant areas of work were training and development (64.29%) and recruitment and selection (57.14%), while other activities had a frequency of 7.14%. The research revealed the predominance of females in the field of OWPs, highlighting the diversity of roles performed by these professionals and the challenges faced in the corporate environment during the Covid-19 pandemic.