They're the people who are charismatic, friendly and, above all, the social glue that holds the office together. And social media has a new name for them: personality hires.
"The personality hire trend is a current trend online, predominantly on TikTok, where young people are sharing that they believe they are the personality hire for their workplace," explains Dr Edith Hill from Flinders University.
"This trend often shows people re-enacting walking into their workplace in slow motion with text over the screen saying something along the lines of: 'Me walking into work knowing I'm not great at my job but I boost morale in the office.'"
It's the latest in a series of trends such as "quiet quitting" that use comedy to explore the weird world of having a job.
But all good humour comes from a place of truth.
So, jokes aside, do employers really hire people for their personality? And what does the trend say about the skills we value in the workplace?
So what is a personality hire?
There's a huge number of videos extolling the virtues of "personality hires", even if the trend is generally a little tongue-in-cheek.
"Often with these trends on TikTok the people who are in-the-know all know that it's a bit of fun," Dr Hill says.
"Very rarely is anyone taking these terms seriously or using them in a critical way … they're opening up a conversation about how a lot of different skills are valued at work and they know what they bring to the table."
That said, we all know people who bring value to their workplaces by boosting morale and getting along well with others. And Dr Hill says these skills are highly valuable in many work environments.
"Many people also know what it's like to work with the 'personality hire', someone who was hired to bring a certain dynamic to the team," she says.
"We know them, we love them, and for some of us, we are them."
Carys Chan, an academic from Griffith Business School, believes that personality hires are a real phenomenon in many workplaces.
"I think most organisations embark on personality hires with good intentions," she says.
"For example, they believe these personality hires can foster a positive work environment or team dynamics, or they believe these personality hires are good for the company brand and reputation."
Dr Chan says that charismatic employees are perceived by workplaces as being more friendly and good at communication, and "therefore able to inspire and energise their colleagues and potentially enhance team collaboration and creativity".
Charisma versus qualifications
While it's important to get along with colleagues, often workplaces need employees with more than just charisma.
"Charisma is not the be-all and end-all," Dr Chan says.
"Firstly, a charismatic employee may not always be the best or a good performer.
"Further, emphasising charisma over qualifications might lead to overlooking critical skills needed for particular roles.
"[And] it may foster a culture of favouritism, in-group/out-group behaviours, and undermine staff morale."
Should you hire someone based on personality alone?
Accepting the existence and even benefits of a personality hire is one thing, but should workplaces actively seek them out to hire?
"At the individual level, managers or employees should try not be judgemental and instead focus on achieving team or organisational goals," Dr Chan says.
"Personality hires may still perform on the job and should be treated and respected like any other regular employees.
"That said, if the 'personality hire' is not performing on the job, it is good to provide feedback constructively, address the concerns and issues diplomatically, and try to ensure that hiring decisions are made based on the individual's skills, qualifications, and prior experiences, alongside their personality."
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