Majority of Gen Z have changed who they are on the job, while 53% call the demand unfair
Eighty percent of Gen Z job seekers have changed aspects of their personality to fit workplace culture, compared with 75 percent of baby boomers and seniors, 67 percent of Gen X, and 64 percent of millennials.
Express Employment Professionals found that 68 percent of job seekers overall have changed their personality at work, while 59 percent said their personality at work is very different from who they are in everyday life.
Gen Z job seekers were the most likely to report that split, at 79 percent followed by 58 percent of millennials, 52 percent of Gen X, and 26 percent of baby boomers and seniors.
Millennials were the most likely to say younger generations are less willing than previous generations to adjust their personality, at 83 percent.
Gen X followed at 80 percent, with Gen Z and baby boomers and seniors both at 67 percent.
Eighty-four percent of job seekers said adapting their personality to workplace culture is now considered a core professional skill, while 89 percent said employees who are unable or unwilling to adjust may not stay with a company as long.
Personality shapes perceptions of performance for 94 percent of hiring managers and 91 percent of job seekers.
Ninety-eight percent of hiring managers and 92 percent of job seekers said a positive or approachable personality can accelerate career advancement.
Fifty-three percent of job seekers called it unfair for employees to have to adapt their personality to a company's culture, according to the report, and 52 percent said their personality has nothing to do with their work or their ability to do the job.
Gen Z held that second view most strongly, at 62 percent, followed by 52 percent of millennials, 47 percent of Gen X, and 30 percent of baby boomers and seniors.
Express Employment Professionals found that 41 percent of job seekers said their company provides guidance on managing or developing their personality for a professional setting.
Gen Z reported the most support, at 52 percent, ahead of millennials at 42 percent, Gen X at 33 percent, and baby boomers and seniors at 25 percent.
One respondent said a calm and organized approach helped reduce stress during tight deadlines, allowing the team to collaborate and stay focused.
Another job seeker said a defensive teammate made colleagues reluctant to offer feedback, scared away clients, and slowed decisions, while a third recalled an “extremely demanding and overbearing” colleague whose behaviour contributed to several employees leaving.
"Strong teams do not require everyone to have the same personality," Bob Funk Jr., CEO, president and chairman of Express Employment International, said in the Express Employment Professionals report.
Teams depend on people who can communicate, adapt, and work through differences, Funk said, and clear expectations help employees grow.
