Companies are turning to personality tests as remote and hybrid work becomes normal


Companies have used personality tests for career advancement and sometimes hiring decisions for years, but the disruption to office culture from the COVID-19 pandemic has given them a new, added purpose, Emma Goldberg reports in Sunday's New York Times. Managers are turning to the roughly $2 billion personality testing industry to help them curate remote and hybrid work teams and keep workers engaged.
For individuals using some of the 2,000 personality assessment tools available today, they may provide some "earnest and indulgent" fun, "like an iPhone burst of selfies fused with the self-help section of an airport bookstore," Goldberg writes. But "some managers find them particularly useful for remote teams, because personality tests can prompt much-needed conversations about who workers are as humans, and how they like to interact" — for example, "whether they crave water cooler banter, or dread the holiday party."
Some companies that have turned to personality tests for recruiting efforts instead of résumés, like Canada's Scotiabank, say the change has led to a more diverse workforce. Personality testing can find "diamonds in the rough" who have natural ability rather than prestigious credentials, especially as companies go remote, Caitlin MacGregor, cofounder or testing company Plum, tells the Times. "For a long time, people were comfortable making decisions around talent based on face-to-face interactions," she said. "More and more companies have a distributed work force. It's harder than ever to get to know your people."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After talking with people in the industry and "taking every personality test I could find on the internet," Goldberg writes, she created her own test, using the two "Big Five" personality traits that "play a powerful role in shaping workplace behavior": extroversion, "the the degree to which social interaction energizes someone," and openness, or creativity and appetite for new experiences. (The other three are are conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism.) You can read about her own test results and take the Goldberg test at The New York Times.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Podcast Reviews: 'The Ex Files' and 'Titanic: Ship of Dreams'
Feature An ex-couple start a podcast and a deep dive into why the Titanic sank
-
Critics' choice: Restaurants that write their own rules
Feature A low-light dining experience, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant, and Hawaiian cuisine with a twist
-
Why is ABC's firing of Terry Moran roiling journalists?
Today's Big Question After the network dropped a longtime broadcaster for calling Donald Trump and Stephen Miller 'world-class' haters, some journalists are calling the move chilling
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
'Wrench attacks' are targeting wealthy crypto moguls
The Explainer The attacks are named for physical coercion that can be used to gain crypto passwords
-
Trump is trying to jump-start US manufacturing. Is it worth it?
Today's Big Question The jobs are good. The workers may not be there.
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
The end of WeightWatchers?
Talking Point The diet brand has filed for bankruptcy in the US as it struggles to survive in era of weight-loss jabs
-
Visa wants to let AI make credit card purchases for you
The Explainer The program will allow you to set a budget and let AI learn from your shopping preferences
-
A newly created gasoline giant in the Americas could change the industry landscape
The Explainer Sunoco and Parkland are two of the biggest fuel suppliers in the US and Canada, respectively