Those that play together, stay together…

A recent survey carried out by Vodafone UK and YouGov suggested workers feel that some organised team building activities can be a waste of time. The findings show that most would much prefer being able to communicate with each other better in the office rather than being ‘forced’ to build rapport with co-workers through adrenaline rushing experiences. They believe that it would be more valuable to go down the pub together than swing through the trees on ropes.

I’m not an alien, I’m just a senior exec

For anyone who’s ever thought of their boss as a “cold fish” who doesn’t appear to experience any emotions, our new research may be a revelation.

OPP’s 2011 16PF study showed that senior executives are more likely to be cool, calm and collected than other managers, and seem as if they don’t let fluffy things like feelings get in the way of their naked ambition and drive to influence. But this masks the truth.

In fact, the research revealed that senior executives report the highest level of emotional investment in their work, but that they also experience the lowest levels of stress across the managerial workforce. This leads to the hypothesis that senior executives have a distinctive personality profile that enables them to cope more effectively with a highly demanding job, and can give the impression that they are emotionally unflappable.

Looking for love this Valentine’s? What if your date is just not your type?!

Every year, the 14th of February rolls around again, as bewildered husbands duck into the services to pick up a scraggy bunch of petrol station flowers, and singletons everywhere join their fellow Bridget Joneses for anti-Valentine’s dates. Cynics bemoan the commercialised nature of the whole thing, and optimists look for love in quirky places. And now that internet dating has just about shrugged off its “only for weirdos” cachet, there is a plethora of dating sites to choose from – and a whole host of potential dating disasters ready to knock at your door.

This all got us wondering: what can the MBTI® tool tell us about dating? Do birds of a feather stick together, or do opposites attract? And what makes a great date for different types?

You can choose your friends but can you choose your colleagues too?

This week the London Evening Standard offered an insight into Pret a Manger’s recruitment practice, revealing its rather interesting approach to taking on new recruits.

Once applicants have completed an online application form, telephone interview and subsequent meeting with bosses at the company’s recruitment centre, they face the prospect of being judged by existing staff during an on-the-job 'graduation day’.

Is power sharing the key to engagement?

Nick Clegg’s call for a John Lewis economy where employees are offered company shares seems to have been greeted with a mixed response particularly with regards to the tax and legislative issues it raises.  

However, if we park this side of the argument for a moment, what Clegg has actually suggested highlights the many potential benefits that can come with a sense of shared ownership within the workplace.

If employees have some involvement in the business decision making process or simply the day to day operations of the organisation they work for, then they are likely to feel more valued, productive, accountable and as a result - engaged.  

January blues

With Monday of this week being dubbed ‘Blue Monday’, a.k.a the most depressing day of the year, many of us are going into hibernation to avoid the cold weather and in a bid to pay off those Christmas debts. But what does your personality say about your likely happiness levels? Are there some personality traits that make you a happier person, more able to quickly shake off those January blues and focus on the positives? We decided to find out!

Facebook: career-limiting move?

When applying for a new job, candidates spend hours pulling together a targeted, convincing and professional-looking CV to secure that interview. But what if your potential employer is not noticing your impeccable spelling and beautifully formatted covering letter, but instead raising an eyebrow at your flippant comments, risqué photos and questionable ‘check-ins’ on Facebook?

OPP’s business psychologists are presenting the findings of their 2011 study into the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter at the BPS Conference in Chester this week. Some of the stats coming out of the study make for sobering reading: 56% of respondents said that they were likely to check out the social media presence of potential employees (although 27% of those surveyed said they would be uncomfortable with the same being done to them). On the flipside, 37% of people said they change their persona online – so looking at their online presence may be misleading anyway.