Bridging Research and Practice in Occupational Psychology: Lessons from the Frontline

Occupational psychology has always fascinated me because it lives at the intersection of human complexity and organisational systems. It asks questions that matter deeply to people’s lives:

• How do we create workplaces that truly support people, not just when things are easy, but when life becomes hard?\

• How do we support individuals through some of life’s most challenging moments without losing sight of business realities?

• What does it mean to have a “good” conversation at work, especially when the topic is anything but simple?

For me, these aren’t abstract academic questions, they have shaped my work as a practitioner and researcher. My journey through an MSc and now a PhD has been about more than research; it has been about humanity, vulnerability, and the challenge of applying knowledge in the real world.

From Theory to Reality: Supporting People Who Want to Stay in Work During Cancer Treatment

My MSc research explored barriers and facilitators for individuals with a cancer diagnosis who wanted to maintain their employment during treatment. For many people, work is more than a job; it’s structure, identity, and a thread of normality when everything else feels uncertain. But choosing to stay in work while navigating cancer treatment is far from straightforward.

The challenges extend well beyond the physical and cognitive toll of treatment. There’s also the emotional weight of disclosure: sharing something so deeply personal in a professional setting can feel like an act of courage. Will the response be empathy and support, or discomfort and silence?

This moment of vulnerability sits at the heart of the issue. A workplace can either become a source of security and purpose, or a place of isolation and fear. That often depends on factors such as:

• Leadership confidence and compassion—are managers equipped to respond appropriately?

• Organisational flexibility—can roles be adapted to meet fluctuating capacities?

• Cultural attitudes—is illness seen through a lens of stigma or understanding?

And yet, when workplaces get it right, when they embrace openness, flexibility, and trust, continuing to work through treatment can be empowering. It can restore agency, sustain social connection, and protect mental health during one of life’s hardest journeys.

The lesson I took from this research is clear: supporting people through illness at work is not just about policy; it’s about culture. It’s about making vulnerability safe.  This is where communication matters most. When conversations are open, honest, and grounded in respect, they unlock solutions, flexible schedules, workload adjustments, supportive dialogue. When conversations are avoided or rushed, they breed fear, stigma, and isolation. Ultimately, open and honest communication is the single most important factor in creating workplaces where vulnerability is met with support, not silence.

The Power (and Challenge) of Difficult Conversations

If my MSc research highlighted the importance of workplace culture, my current PhD dives straight into one of its most fragile and powerful mechanisms: conversation. Specifically, I’m investigating difficult conversations at work, those moments when we have to talk about things no one really wants to: declining health, performance struggles, career limitations, or even whether someone can continue in their role.

What I’ve learned so far is this: these conversations aren’t “difficult” just because of their topic. They’re difficult because they threaten identity, for both sides.

• Managers worry: What if I say the wrong thing? What if I make it worse?

• Employees worry: Will I be judged? Will this change how I’m seen?

In that fear, silence becomes the default. Conversations are avoided or watered down, and the cost of that silence is enormous: trust erodes, inclusion disappears, and individuals carry their struggles alone.

But here’s the paradox: when handled with skill and empathy, difficult conversations can become transformational moments. They can:

• Strengthen relationships.

• Build psychological safety.

• Unlock support strategies that allow people to remain engaged and productive.

The real challenge lies in equipping people, leaders, HR professionals, even colleagues, with the tools and confidence to have these conversations well. That means understanding not just what to say, but how to hold space for vulnerability without fear or defensiveness.

Living the Work: Bridging Research and Practice

In my practice at Elevation Occupational Psychology, I bring these insights to life. Every intervention, whether it’s leadership development, policy design, or creating frameworks for supportive workplace conversations, reflects what I’ve learned from research and from being present in the moments when these challenges arise. And here’s something I’ve discovered: what looks neat in theory rarely plays out neatly in practice. Organisational systems resist change. People avoid discomfort. Time pressures win over compassion.

This is where being a researcher-practitioner keeps me honest. It forces me to ask:

• How do we translate evidence into action in messy, real-world contexts?

• How do we move from good intentions to meaningful impact and lasting cultural change?

And, just like the individuals and organisations I work with, I navigate my own vulnerability in this process. My lived experience of illness has deepened my understanding of what it means to feel exposed in a professional space, to need support while wanting to retain identity and purpose. It’s taught me that these issues are never theoretical, they are real, human, and often profoundly emotional.

Engaging with stories of illness, fear, and resilience, both my own and others’, has reinforced one truth: this work is not about quick fixes. It’s about building workplaces where open and honest conversations are the norm, not the exception, and where vulnerability is met with dignity, not discomfort.

What I’m Still Learning

One of the most humbling lessons in this field is that the human experience at work resists simplification. There is no single framework, checklist, or policy that can neatly capture the complexity of people’s lives. Every conversation, every situation, every individual brings a unique context.

I’m still learning how to navigate these complexities, and the questions continue to challenge me:

• How do we balance compassion with business realities? Organisations don’t operate in a vacuum. They have targets to hit, customers to serve, and shareholders to satisfy. The challenge lies in holding space for humanity without losing sight of these operational demands. It’s a constant negotiation: making the case that supporting people through life’s hardest moments is not just morally right but strategically sound.

• How do we measure what truly matters? Traditional metrics, productivity scores, engagement surveys, often miss the invisible threads of trust, inclusion, and psychological safety that sustain healthy workplaces. How do we capture the value of an open conversation that prevents a crisis? Or a policy that gives someone the confidence to stay in work during treatment? These are the outcomes that matter most, yet they’re the hardest to quantify.

• How do we challenge organisational norms that keep silence and stigma in place? Despite progress, many workplaces still operate under an unspoken rule: Don’t talk about the hard stuff. Illness, mental health, personal struggle, they’re quietly acknowledged but rarely discussed openly. Changing this requires more than awareness training; it demands cultural transformation, leadership modeling, and the courage to normalise vulnerability.

And perhaps the biggest lesson so far? Progress starts with conversations, the very thing we often avoid. Whether it’s a manager asking, “How can I support you?” or an employee feeling safe enough to share their reality, everything begins with words spoken in trust.

Why It Matters

Work is more than a place we go, it’s a cornerstone of identity, a source of purpose, a community. When workplaces get it right, they can be a force for resilience, hope, and healing. They can help people hold onto dignity and normality in moments of chaos.

But when workplaces get it wrong, when they ignore the human behind the role, the impact ripples far beyond the office. It affects mental health, family life, recovery, and even survival. The cost isn’t just economic; it’s deeply personal.

This is why occupational psychology matters. It’s why my work matters. Because at its core, this discipline isn’t about abstract theories or corporate buzzwords, it’s about people. Real people facing real challenges, looking for connection, meaning, and fairness.

As researchers and practitioners, we carry a responsibility: to bridge the gap between insight and action, knowledge and empathy. To create environments where open, honest communication is not an exception but an expectation, and where vulnerability is not punished but protected.

That’s the journey I’m on. It’s complex. It’s messy. It requires courage, from me, from leaders, from organisations. And it matters more than ever in a world where the boundaries between life and work have never been more blurred.

A Call to Action

If there’s one message I want to leave you with, it’s this: every workplace conversation matters. Whether you’re an individual navigating illness, a leader trying to support your team, or a practitioner striving to influence culture, your actions shape the environment we all share.

For individuals, I encourage you to reflect on this: What do you need to feel safe and supported at work, and who needs to hear that from you? 

For organisations, ask: How are we creating spaces where vulnerability is met with understanding, not silence? Are our policies truly lived, or just written? 

For practitioners like me: How can we turn insight into action, bridging research, lived experience, and real-world complexity?

Open, honest communication is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. It’s the foundation on which trust, inclusion, and resilience are built. And it starts with us, one conversation at a time.

If this resonates with you, or if you’re curious about how my work at Elevation Occupational Psychology can support your people and your organisation, I’d love to continue the conversation. You can connect with me via www.elevationoccpsy.com, or join me on LinkedIn to share your thoughts. Together, we can create workplaces where humanity and business thrive side by side.