From pipeline to powerline: How to support your energy and utility workforce with assessments
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Every job comes with a certain level of stress, but there are some industries where the pressure on employees is more intense than in others. Consider, for example, racing against the clock to restore electricity in a disaster zone, where hospitals only have backup power and there is damage everywhere. Or, consider the high-stakes environment of a nuclear energy plant where a single mistake could have serious consequences.
These types of roles in the utility and energy industry are inherently stressful. Whether it’s responding to emergencies or maintaining an “always-on” mindset, these roles require resilience, precision, and constant vigilance.
Utility and energy workers also face other challenges, such as isolation and time away from home. Utility workers are deployed to disaster areas where repairs and service restoration are needed. Oil rig workers work physically demanding jobs far from home for extended periods. The effects can be debilitating — according to a recent survey, 40% of offshore and onshore rotational workers experienced suicidal thoughts, an alarmingly high percentage.
Utility and energy workers must be capable of managing ongoing stress and making clear-headed decisions under pressure. How can HR professionals find the right candidates and ensure their current workers maintain their mental health? How should they provide support for employees who need it, and how can they spot leadership skills that may benefit their entire organization?
These are complex questions in the day-to-day functioning of utilities, nuclear plants and other energy installations. The answers necessarily involve numerous strategies, such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which can include counseling services. Job security, proper training, access to healthcare and appropriate time off also play important roles.
Another vital tool is the use of assessments to proactively identify skills or personality traits in candidates that are suitable for these high-stress roles. Assessments can also help flag burnout or other mental health issues for existing employees before they start to impact performance, as well as help identify leadership skills and potential for promotion. Let’s take a closer look at how assessments can make a difference in the utility and energy sector:
Assessments as part of the recruitment process
Everyone presents a certain version of themselves in a job interview. The concept is called “impression management,” and it’s a common form of social interaction. For utilities and energy companies, it’s critical to get as accurate an understanding as possible about who a candidate really is; thus, while impression management may be understood and even expected, recruiters and HR staff need ways to dig a little deeper. Personality assessments are a valuable tool for doing so.
“Assessments utilized in recruiting should be standardized, and they should be job-relevant, meaning it’s clear how specific psychological traits translate to success in a given role,” says Lynsey Psimas, Ph.D., Director of Business Development, Government & Public Safety at Pearson Clinical Assessments. “Employers should communicate the general purpose of the assessment to candidates during pre-employment screening.”
The results of assessments used in recruiting could provide insight into how impulsive a candidate is in their decision-making or how they cope with stress. One of the most widely used assessments in these contexts is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory®-3 (MMPI®-3). The MMPI-3 is designed to assess a broad range of psychopathology and personality characteristics relevant to psychological functioning. For example, results can provide insight into traits like impulse control, stress tolerance, or behavioral regulation, which are key areas of interest for positions involving safety or access to sensitive infrastructure.
An important note for HR teams is that assessments like the MMPI-3 are not diagnostic tools — they are not intended to be used by HR professionals to provide clinical diagnoses, nor are HR staff expected to interpret test results as a clinical practitioner would. Instead, these assessments offer valuable insights into personality traits and behavioral tendencies that may impact job performance. By comparing a candidate’s results to relevant occupational benchmarks, the MMPI-3 can help identify high-risk candidates in an efficient, evidence-based, and legally defensible way.
Supporting current employees’ mental health with assessments
Working in the utility and energy industry can expose employees to traumatic situations, such as natural disasters, wildfire zones or high-risk environments. It also involves continuous stress, including working with electricity or hazardous materials. These roles require vigilance and resilience, and they can lead to burnout, depression and other mental health issues.
Employers must, therefore, provide robust support for their workforce, and assessments are a powerful tool for checking in on employees’ well-being. The Beck family of assessments from Pearson, particularly the Beck Anxiety Inventory® (BAI®) and Beck Depression Inventory® (BDI®), are valuable pulse-checks for employees, especially if they’ve experienced a traumatic event.
“The BAI and BDI are quick 21-question screeners that can help identify anxiety and depression so you can support those employees,” Psimas says. “They can be conducted repeatedly as part of an EAP to track an employee’s progress or act as a check-in over time,” she adds.
Pearson also offers the Quality of Life Inventory® (QOLI®), which assesses positive mental health aspects like satisfaction and happiness. These factors can help predict if an employee is struggling with personal life issues that could be affecting their performance at work.
Overall, these types of assessments help employers in utilities and the energy sector to understand their employees’ mental well-being and be better equipped to offer comprehensive support. “Assessments are one piece of the support systems that are around employees in high-stress roles,” says Psimas.
Assessing and identifying leaders
Leadership skills go beyond technical competencies, and understanding an employee’s level of empathy, communication style, and other facets of their personality can inform who may be a future leader. Assessments can help HR professionals and teams in talent management efforts like promotions by looking at normal-range personality traits.
The Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire® (MPQ®), for example, has 17 empirically validated scales and is designed to match the latest U.S. Census data for greater representation across employee demographics. “This assessment looks at motivational style, stress response and interpersonal skills — key social characteristics that can help identify the psychological profile best suited for leadership,” Psimas explains.
While technical expertise is critical, personality traits can be strong predictors of effective leadership. High-quality leaders play a pivotal role in fostering a supportive workplace culture and driving the development of their teams.
Getting started with assessments
HR teams in the utility and energy sectors understand their workforce faces many challenges, and that jobs that are physically and mentally taxing will have mental health impacts. They need tools and strategies to help them identify the right personality traits in potential employees and support the mental well-being of their existing employees.
Personality assessments are a key component of these toolsets, and HR can start by identifying a critical need with their workforce. Is it leadership development? Recruiting new employees who will be able to thrive? Articulating their business needs is the first step to finding an assessment that meets those needs.
From there, HR teams can incorporate assessments that predict the outcomes that will benefit their workforce and the vital work they provide for the entire country.
For more resources on recruiting and supporting employees for the utility or energy sector, check out Pearson’s dedicated Government & Public Safety page or HR Professionals page.