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What The State Of Your Office Says About You

Whether you work at home or in a busy office, your workspace says a lot about you. Your leaning tower of folders or collection of pens aligned with precision is a code waiting to be cracked. Some desk behaviours are easier to decipher than others, while some habits require a professional’s eye to understand.

Some psychologists suggest your workspace reveals your inner personality because it’s a collection of repeated activities. Compared to a one-time workspace, the desk you use for your 9 – 5 job paints a better picture of your regular habits. One psychologist in particular, a Lily Bernheimer of the UK, has quantified these behaviours to create 5 personality types: the surveyor, the expander, the personalizer, the clutterer, and the minimalist.

Since Wiarton Willie didn’t see his shadow this Groundhog Day, we can expect an early spring, which means plenty of Canadians will be tackling their annual spring cleaning sooner rather than later. Before you de-clutter your workspace, take a moment to look at your desk and see how you compare to the top 5 personality types.

1. The Surveyor Named for their positioning, the surveyor tends to work in isolation far from other people. In a group office, they can be found along the outskirts with their backs facing a wall. Naturally introverted, they also prefer working alone, but they’re an integral member of their team due to their creativity and productivity. It’s easy to get a lot done when there are no distractions!
2. The Expander It’s safe to say the Expander is the complete opposite of the previous type. These individuals are highly extroverted and prefer a centralized position within the office. They also tend to be aggressive with their personal space. As the name suggest, their workspace slowly grows over time until it begins to include other people’s desks. If you aren’t this type yourself, you’ve probably noticed when a co-worker started to store their stuff in your space.
3. The Personalizer There’s little doubt what this personality type gets up to in between projects, as this worker tends to put their own spin on their workspace. Burnheimer says a creative individual’s extroversion comes out in stylish décor, with customized artwork, mementos, and photographs to make their space unique.
4. The Clutterer This is the easiest personality type to identify on your own. The overwhelming amount of stuff piling up on every viable workspace is a clue none of us can ignore. It’s not just files that take up space on their desks but a full variety of trinkets and scraps that find their place here.
5. The Minimalist The Clutterer will find their opposite in this personality type. Their organized desk is clear of mess and speaks to a highly-disciplined and logical worker. They’ll have a system for everything, so they’re the least likely to need a thorough spring cleaning — but that won’t stop them of course.

We might all strive to be the Minimalist in our work lives, and it might work for a couple of weeks after our spring cleaning jag. But very few us of can keep up these habits in the long run. Over time, we’re bound to fall back to our routines, whether that means we’re a clutterer or an expander. However you tend to personalize your space, remember to give us a call when you take on your spring cleaning. When you clear out obsolete files from your desk, we can make sure any confidential material is destroyed properly.