Executive Talent Director Dr. Hamira Riaz

Dec 23, 2024

Dr. Hamira Riaz, Executive Talent & Assessment Director and business psychologist with a PhD, speaks about bringing occupational psychology in-house. She discusses the career pivot from clinical to business psychology. Topics include why in-house psychologists matter, how potential and the psychological contract have shifted, leadership’s shadow side, resilience as a rechargeable resource, and AI’s role in HR.

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INSIGHT

In-House Business Psychologists Are The Next Norm

In-house occupational psychologists are becoming essential as businesses need expertise on team effectiveness, culture, and leadership shadows.
Hamira Riaz says consultancies historically supplied this skillset but Lloyds is keen to embed it internally to address post-pandemic workplace complexity.

INSIGHT

The Psychological Contract Has Permanently Shifted

The psychological contract between employees and employers has fundamentally shifted after the pandemic; boundaries between work and life are permanently changed.
Hamira Riaz argues this change spans generations: expectations differ, but the desire for different work conditions is now universal.

INSIGHT

Potential Became A Universal Employee Demand

Potential is now central in HR not as elite signaling but as every employee wanting their potential expressed and valued at work.
She links this rise to pandemic reflection and talent-platforms that let employees self-signal and pursue growth.

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Until recently, business or occupational psychologists have been rarities who mostly get hired as contracted consultants. But now, companies are beginning to see their undeniable value, and there's a drive toward having an in-house business psychologist in all workplaces. Today we welcome Dr. Hamira Riaz, Executive Talent & Assessment Director. Dr. Hamira begins with how she switched from clinical psychology to HR before explaining why occupational psychologists should be an in-house norm for all businesses. We unpack the skills needed to be an expert in Dr. Hamira's field, how the psychological contract between employees and businesses has changed through the years, the constant yo-yo of power between talent and employers, and why potential is an important subject to modern employees. We also learn about our shadow selves and how it affects our work, the role of resilience in breaking through shadows, how Dr. Hamira ensures that she gets the information she needs when speaking to business leaders, and AI's role in the future of HR.

Key Points From This Episode:

Dr. Hamira Riaz describes her career pivot from clinical psychology to HR.
Why in-house occupational psychologists will become a staple in most businesses.
The skills and knowledge required to be an expert business psychologist.
How the psychological contract between employees and businesses has evolved.
Exploring the perpetual seesaw of power between talent and employers.
Why potential matters, and work motivations in a post-COVID society.
The environments in which potential is expressed and realized.
How our shadows affect our work, and how to assess and alleviate shadows in the office.
The role of resilience in breaking through shadows, and how to recharge your resilience.
What Dr. Hamira is listening for when speaking to business leaders about their needs.
Why she's very interested in how someone spent their 20s when making her valuations.
The future of HR with AI.

Quotes:

"That psychological contract between an employee and a company has fundamentally shifted. We want different things out of work than we ever did before. Our tolerance and threshold for what's okay in terms of the boundary between our personal life and professional life has shifted, and we're never going to go back." — @HamiraRiaz [08:00]

"The Human Potential Movement has been around for decades, since the 60s. I've never known potential as a subject to be as much in the minds of HR professionals as it is now." — @HamiraRiaz [10:16]

"We're all deserving of these opportunities at work, and we don't need to wait for a professional in the HR function to tell us that we are talent and tell us that we have potential." — @HamiraRiaz [14:01]

"I love the gift of time. I don't think anybody loves you more than when you give them back some time." — @HamiraRiaz [32:11]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Dr. Hamira Riaz

Dr. Hamira Riaz on LinkedIn

LHH Recruitment Solutions