Eat Sleep Work Repeat - better workplace culture Our personalities are changing, will it ruin work?
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Sep 5, 2025 Nick McClelland, CEO of Byrne Dean and expert in workplace dynamics, delves into how the pandemic has reshaped personality traits, particularly among younger workers. He discusses the declines in conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion and their implications for employee engagement. The conversation highlights the increasing conflicts in workplaces fueled by external tensions and the importance of respectful communication. McClelland also examines the challenges of maintaining connections in a hybrid work environment dominated by digital communication.
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Personality Can Change, But Rapid Shifts Are Rare
- The Big Five are somewhat malleable but usually change slowly through life events and habit formation.
- Large, rapid shifts across cohorts are atypical and therefore notable if confirmed.
Effect Size Debate, But Trend Concern Remains
- Some critics argued effect sizes were small or that scales were altered to emphasise change.
- Nick worries less about short timeframe and more about whether this marks the start of a lasting trend affecting future workers.
Distraction, Pandemic And Poor Work Fit
- Explanations proposed include increased distraction from smartphones and pandemic-driven lifestyle reorientation.
- Alex Haslam suggested responses to conscientiousness items also reflect job quality and meaningfulness, not just individual decline.