Elaine O Brien

Biography

Elaine O’Brien is a Chartered Psychologist (BPS) and lecturer in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at University College Cork (UCC). She is a First Class (Hons) Occupational Psychology graduate of the University of Ulster. She has an MSc in Organisational Psychology from UMIST and PhD from UCC. Prior to joining UCC Elaine gained considerable industrial experience in both public and private sector organisations. She has worked as a HR manager in an NHS hospital trust and as a HR & Management Development Consultant. In the latter she developed and delivered a range of bespoke management development & assessment programmes for all levels of management from supervisory to senior management. She was also involved in competency profiling, job evaluation and the development of assessment centres for use in succession planning in organisations from a range of industry sectors. Her current research interests lie in the area of Emotion at Work, Employee well-being, Psychological Capital and Employee Engagement. Recent engagement with industry includes an examination of diversity, inclusion and engagement practices in a leading multi-national company.

Research Interest

Current research interests lie in area of Occupational & Organisational Psychology. Specifically I am interested in the interrelated areas of Emotion at work; Emotional Labour; Employee well-being and Engagement and Psychological Capital. With employment becoming increasingly precarious and demanding, I am interested in exploring employee experiences of work and how organisation and HRM practices can be arranged to promote work that diverse individuals experience as meaningful, expressive and dignified.