Where you choose to work is more than just the job itself, it’s also about the people you work with – your colleagues can make or break you. During the job hiring process, it’s normal for employers to factor in personality and “culture fit”, because the last thing they want is to have personality clashes on the team.
But is hiring employees based on their star signs a step too far? Not all of us are into astrology, but almost one fifth (18%) of us believe in star sign compatibility within the workplace, according to a survey conducted by instantprint.
Astrologer Bex Milford of Cosmic Cures worked with the company to explore how each sign’s strengths and weaknesses could impact a work environment. She says that as star signs resonate with different traits, it’s natural some mixes will find themselves more compatible in a work environment than others.
“Of course, it depends what industry they’re working in,” she says. “Within a big corporation, Capricorn and Aries will be strident leaders, although may struggle with the more ‘go with the flow’, creative nature of Pisces or the fixed (and sometimes stubborn) mentality of Taurus.”
She adds: “As with all of these things, having a supportive mix assigned to different roles is the key – Virgos will love to plan, Leos will love to present, and Sagittarius will stride ahead with boundless enthusiasm.”
If you’re less than persuaded by this approach, the survey also looked at what traits people find most desirable in their colleagues – 46% named patience as the most preferable. Good communication skills came in second with 45% rating it, while other desirable skills included problem-solving (43%), good organisational skills (35%) and creativity (35%).
Poor listening skills were seen as the least attractive, followed by a dominating personality (32%), inflexibility (27%), and a lack of follow-through (26%).
Milford believes certain signs may better complement each other in a work environment than others. Teams that consist of a Capricorn, Leo, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio and/or Cancer tend to blend well, she says. So too are teams that mix Aries, Sagittarius, Taurus, Aquarius, Pisces and Libra.
If you want a public speaker or someone with good communication, try going for a charismatic Leo or curious Gemini. Want someone with a caring nature? Cancers are perfect, as are intuitive Pisces types. An Aries makes for a natural leader and Sagittarius, an inspiring teacher.
And for all the sceptics out there, Laura Mucklow, head of instantprint, says there is a serious point behind all this astrology chat.
“The concept of hiring based on signs of the zodiac is something many of us understandably may not have considered, or necessarily have a strong belief in, but having a strong awareness of the different personality types you are hiring is always a benefit when building a successful team,” she says.
“Finding a team of colleagues whose strengths and development areas complement each other is no easy task – no matter what the nature of the business. Likewise, as a manager, you want to help push employees to be the best version of themselves.”
At HuffPost UK Life, we have two Libras (know for their diplomacy, according to Milford), a Scorpio (rated for research and organisation skills, she adds), and one Virgo – that’s me! Have we got the mix right? It seems to work for now.
But what about your team? We bet having this conversation could be a bonding opportunity at the very least (but perhaps best not to mention “rising signs” just yet or it could all get a little complicated).