Posted on 08/17/2011 12:09:56 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
It is a common saying that nice guys finish last - and when it comes to pay packets, at least, research shows the genial really do end up at the back of the queue.
A study which looked at the link between personality and wages has found that 'agreeable' workers earn significantly less than their meaner colleagues.
The gap is particularly telling when broken down by gender, with the difference in pay between mean and nice men almost $10,000 a year.
The study, titled 'Do Nice Guys - and Gals - Really Finish Last?', examined levels of 'agreeableness' attributed to different people and compared it to their pay.
Agreeableness was defined as a tendency toward warmth, kindness and cooperation with other people.
Men who were deemed to disagree the most made 18 per cent - or $9,772 annually - more than those seen to be more willing to agree.
Disagreeable women make five per cent - or $1,828 a year - more than women who are more willing to seek common ground.
Using data compiled over 20 years from three different surveys, as well as surveys of 10,000 workers, researchers assessed whether personality affected how people were perceived at work.
As a further part of the research, 460 business students were asked to pretend to be managers reviewing descriptions of potential employees.
Those viewed as more agreeable were less likely to get the job, researchers found.
Cornell professor Beth Livingston, who authored the study with the University of Notre Dame's Timothy Judge and Charlice Hurst of the University of Western Ontario, said managers are clearly rewarding nasty behaviour.
'Nice guys are getting the shaft,' she told the Wall Street Journal. 'The problem is, many managers often don't realise they reward disagreeableness.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I guess it’s time to brush up on my asshole skills.
Let them earn more! I would rather retire with a large network of professionals than burn every bridge just to make an extra $10K per year.
Years ago my mother used to say to me, she’d say, “In this world, Elwood, you must be” - she always called me Elwood - “In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.” Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.
-Elwood P. Dowd -
Lovely! A wonderful quote from a wonderful actor in an engaging movie! In my very nice opinion: post of the day.
I should be freakin’ RICH!
It depends on the definition of “agreeableness”. A lot of the time, you need somebody who’s not afraid to go against group consensus and say “this idea is really stupid”; who’s willing to ruffle some feathers in order to get the job done; and who’s willing to push people in order to make the deadline and cost goals.
I manage a team of sales reps. I do have to admit that the “nice ones” who are more likely to roll over and say “it’s ok that he’s following up with a lead I started with” tend to get screwed a bit more by the more agressive greedy ones.
and they're rich and need to be taxed to death!
Being “agreeable” does nothing to help your employer/business. The a-holes where I work are the people you can actually trust to help the business make money.
That sounds like common sense, not overall nastiness.
In this case, I’m sensing that “agreeable” = “doormat.” Nobody likes a doormat.
Years ago I had a sales manager teach us the concept of BADNAP.
I’ve never forgot it.
Nice guys finish last...in the business world.
Thanks! i will earn more. And I havnt burned “every bridge” either. ;)
indeed. the A$$holes are the ones who just get out there and make it happen. Plus theyre not gonna pee on your leg and tell you is raining. mean people will almost always give you the straight scoop.
Agreed. Not only do you want original thinkers, you want people who aren’t so desperate to be liked that they avoid rejection by asking for the order in sales, for example.
Also, who wants to work with passive-aggressive types?
What is BADNAP?
Not where I work. They're just assholes intent on getting their own way making themselves look good. You want competent people who aren't self-centered egomaniacs, imo.
Splain please BADNAP.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.