Rate My Professor Narelle Hess

Dr. Narelle Hess serves as a Senior Lecturer (Teaching and Leadership) in Organisational Psychology in the School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University. She earned a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology, a Master of Organisational Psychology from UNSW Sydney between 2005 and 2007, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Macquarie University in 2019. Her doctoral thesis, "Organisational career management in a protean and boundaryless world: A mixed-methods study," examined the impact of career development practices on employee retention and organisational innovation. As a registered organisational psychologist, Hess focuses her research on career development, organisational psychology, psychological contracts, generational and career stage differences, voluntary career changes, talent management, and work motivation. She is passionate about evidence-based career development programs and their effects on performance and business outcomes.

Hess has published key works such as "Career Stage and Generational Differences in Psychological Contracts" (2009, with D.M. Jepsen), "The Psychological Contract: Investigation of Generational and Career Stage Differences" (2008, Academy of Management Proceedings), "Career and employer change in the age of the 'boundaryless' career" (2012), "The black box of voluntary career change: A systematic review and research agenda" (2017), and "Organizational career management in a protean and boundaryless world: A mixed-methods study" (2018). Recent contributions include co-authoring "Development of a Framework for Assessing Organisational Psychology Postgraduate Students on Placement" (2024). She has presented at the International Congress of Applied Psychology, European Academy of Management, Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, and Academy of Management conferences, receiving best paper acknowledgments. In teaching, she convenes units including Coaching and Positive Psychology (PSYO8963), Organisational Psychology Placement C (PSYO8983), Human Factors in New Technology (PSYO8922), and Counselling and Mental Health in Organisations. Her educational impact earned her Highly Commended in the Vice-Chancellor's Learning and Teaching Early Career Award 2023 and finalist status in the 2023 Academic Staff Awards (Rising Stars category). She holds fellowships with the Higher Education Academy, College of Organisational Psychologists (APS), and Career Development Association of Australia.