Abstract
The onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought significant changes to the
world of work, leaving employees struggling to adapt to these rapid shifts. As workplace
counsellors, Industrial Psychologists play a critical role in maintaining employee well-being
by providing guidance and support in navigating these new challenges. To meet the needs of
modern/hybrid organisations, Industrial Psychologists are required to offer their services
through both in-person and virtual platforms, necessitating a diverse set of skills to counsel
employees in this evolving work environment effectively. As a result, this study aimed to
explore the role of Industrial Psychologists as virtual workplace counsellors by examining
their experiences and perceptions while also seeking to assess the applicability of the
counselling competency framework developed by Graupner and Van Zyl (2019) in relation to
Industrial Psychologists’ role in virtual workplace counselling. This study used a qualitative,
exploratory research design grounded in a relativist ontology and an interpretive paradigm
and was further guided by a constructionist epistemology. Data were gathered through nonprobability
purposive sampling, selecting participants (N = 12) who met the criteria of being
registered Industrial Psychologists and/or Intern Psychologists and had experience providing
counselling in an organisational and virtual setting. Semi-structured interviews were
conducted via the Microsoft Teams virtual platform, and the data were analysed using
thematic analysis. Participants reported both positive and negative aspects of both virtual and
in-person counselling, emphasised continuous upskilling to enhance their effectiveness in
virtual environments, and recommended that universities incorporate more practical
experience with various counselling models. Lastly, the findings indicate that most
participants considered Graupner and Van Zyl’s (2019) competency profile to be both
relevant and applicable to the role of Industrial Psychologists as virtual counsellors, with
minor adjustments being suggested.