What does your desk say about you?

WHETHER you choose to have a family picture, potted plant or comedy calendar could reveal more about your workplace persona than you think according to a new study.

Online office broker, officebroker.com joined forces with leading business psychologists Pearn Kandola to find out what your desk really says about you.

Is a messy desk really the preserve of the creative genius or does creating your own ‘nest’ at work give a sense of belonging and settlement?

Andy Haywood, joint managing director of officebroker.com, said: “Walk into any company and the chances are you will find people whose desks are all very differently organised. While some companies might in fact employ a policy or have a culture of desk etiquette, it seems the majority simply leave desk decorating decisions down to the individual employee.”

The research uncovered a number of key findings including;

A person who displays targets or project charts on or around their desk is often highly motivated by achievement and by setting goals for themselves.

Those with pictures of their family or friends on their desk and an array of personal paraphernalia tend to be more people focussed and are motivated by their relationships both inside and outside of the work place.

Employees who have screen savers or calendars depicting tropical beaches tend to be more hedonistic – for them motivation is all about the pleasure principle. They seek pleasure in every opportunity, perhaps preferring to meet clients over lunch at a nice restaurant, for example.

People with ‘stylish’ desks, perhaps with an Apple Mac on it because they ‘like the design’, or with stylish flowers or plants tend to be motivated by culture and the environment in which they work.

Desks without any personal objects are often the preserve of the introvert – these people might even use files to create a barrier around themselves and their work. They prefer their desks to face into a wall rather than out into the office.

Conversely, people who use their desks to display their personalities tend to be more extrovert and may even have joke calendars or desk top toys to draw people over to their work space and create a talking point. These types of people prefer desks facing out to the rest of the team.

A neat and tidy desk is often a sign of a highly conscientious individual – someone who is well organised and prefers to focus on one thing at a time.

A more spontaneously organised desk shows someone who is good at multi tasking and can switch between different tasks quite quickly and easily. They tend to be flexible and creative in their approach to work.

Andy Haywood says: “Everyone’s desk is different and we can all find out more about what makes our colleagues tick by taking a look at their desks. It is a fun and fascinating, but actually quite serious, way for employers to determine how to improve performance or productivity and realise that there is no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ desk – each individual performs best when they are allowed to express themselves and their personality in the work place and their desk is often one very easy way to do this.”