I’ll work it my way!

Are you a slave to ’to-do’ lists at the office, planning your time meticulously, or are you more flexible, happy to deal with issues on an ad hoc basis? A report out today by cahoot, the internet bank from Abbey, reveals that there are four personality types in the workplace, ranging from the most compulsive and mental planners to the fully flexible and impulsive types. The report highlights the need for workers and their employers to recognise these four traits in order to maintain harmony and happiness in the workplace.

According to the report, the working population of Britain is divided up into the following personality types:

-The ’Fully Flexible’ type - 10 million workers (35%), epitomised by Tim Canterbury from The Office

-Prefers to see what happens on an almost hourly basis and then acts accordingly which makes them a nightmare to pin down for a meeting but great to have in a crisis. Men (38%) rate highly in this category compared to under a third of women (31%).

-The ’Mental Planner’ type - 7 million workers (24%), epitomised by Sex in the City’s Carrie Bradshaw

-Keeps mental rather than physical lists and plans what needs to be done by when which allows them to cope if work plans change. The Welsh top the league here (29%) compared to less than one in ten of Yorkshire and Humberside (9%).

-The ’Compulsive Planner’ type - 6 million workers (20%), epitomised by Friend’s star Monica Bing

-Obsessively formulates lists for everything that they do and panics when their routine is disrupted. Interestingly, female workers more likely to be a ’Monica Bing’ than males (27% v 15%), as are most 65 year olds (39%).

-The ’Impulsive’ type - 5 million workers (18%), epitomised by Will and Grace star Jack McFarland

-Tend not to bother with any planning as they enjoy flying through their job by the seat of their pants. The West Midlands (29%) has the most ’Jacks’ out of the regions as well as nearly a quarter of 55 to 64 year olds (24%).

The ’Planner’ types often feel attracted to jobs that are in finance, accounting and administrative positions. They are also likely to be found in the police force, the military and public sector jobs. The more ’Flexible’ types often go for areas such as sales, journalism, creative fields like art and design, and restaurant work where a speedy reaction is a key requirement.

What the report highlights is that this difference in the way we like to work is crucial to finding the right job to suit your personality type. Yet this can be tough and might explain why so many of us are Career Chameleons - changing jobs every two and a half years in that elusive search for the one that suits us best .

Our desire for structure and flexibility at work even pervades other aspects of our lives. Some Brits that thrive on being a ’Monica’ or a ’Carrie’ enjoy holidaying in the same spot every year (34% of Londoners) or catching the same train at the same time each day (18%). Many of us like to keep our long term money matters as routine as possible to avoid nasty surprises. Over a third of us (37%) regularly save for the future by putting away money in pensions and high interest savings accounts and should the need arise to take out a loan, nearly half of Brits (47%) prefer to plan regular repayments. The ’Tims’ or the ’Jacks’ of Britain like to keep things flexible, with 40% keeping social activities like seeing friends, visits to the pub or cinema unplanned and impromptu rather than filling their diaries months in advance.

Deborah Cutler, Marketing Director at cahoot, said: We commissioned the report to see how British employees function in the workplace and I have to say we were surprised at just how varied people’s personalities can be and how it influences their job. Partly as a result of this research, we are launching a new fixed rate loan product that gives people the certainty they need with fixed monthly payments and perfectly our ’Planner’ types. This complements our existing flexible loan product - where people choose how much they pay back and when - which will keep our ’Fully Flexible’ and ’Impulsive’ types happy.

Commenting on what makes some of us creatures of habit, Stuart Robertson, Chartered Psychologist and co-author of the Quintax Personality Questionnaire, said: Studies show that some aspects of whether or not you are a structured person who likes routine and planning are likely to be inherited, while aspects of it are probably acquired early in life through environmental influence, including the effects of home, socialisation and culture, as well as individual experiences. Our choices in life may help to reinforce these trends, for example, a structured person who likes routine and planning will tend to look for a job within a structured organisation, such as a bank, and the flexible person will tend to favour a work environment that is less ’rule governed’, and where there is plenty of potential for spontaneity. There are a number of theories as to why some of us like structure and routine, some say it helps reduce some of the anxieties caused by unpredictability and uncertainty.

Quintax TOP TIPS FOR THE PLANNERS AND FLEXIBLE TYPES
The ’Planner’ types
Things you do well:
* Planning ahead to avoid the last-minute rush

* Keeping track of progress by using lists, diaries, etc.

* Seeing through to completion - getting things done
* Being organised, systematic and methodical

* Being on time

* Dependability - people can rely on you to do what you say you will do

Things to do to avoid the pitfalls:

* Be flexible about your plans when circumstances change

* Try not to rush important decisions

* Keep an eye out for new things that might need to be dealt with

* Be more patient with people who are less organised and conscientious than you are

* Keep an open mind when others suggest new possibilities

* Don’t forget to build in time for relaxation

The ’Flexible’ Types
Things you do well:

* Adapting to changing demands and circumstances

* Being curious, always exploring new possibilities and ideas

* Getting something new started

* Seeing both sides of an argument

* Maintaining some perspective when things go wrong

Things to do to avoid the pitfalls:

* Make sure that you finish off at least some of the things you start

* Don’t always put off the things that you’d rather not do

* Try to be more orderly in your work habits

* Don’t expect everyone to adapt to changes as quickly as you do

* Try to make and communicate plans a bit more, even if you know you will have to change them later