I had to attend a mandatory training recently on personality type. I have the opportunity to comment on the training and i am getting increasingly annoyed. It is me... or why does my employer and or co workers have any right whatsoever to know such personal information about me?

We were asked to
(1) state our hobbies. I stated mine. I was laughed at. Yes everyone laughed. Thank you training people for that lovely memory.
(2) we were asked to write down a personal memory from our youth and then give it to other people. We didn't know other people would be seeing it until we wrote it down. There were many awkward moments with this.
(3) we did our personality test and were divided into our groups. We were not told we would be divided into our groups when doing the test. Accordingly if you messed up the test or didn't take it seriously you could be in the wrong group and, forever, more, be labeled as a certain type of person with your co workers.

In theory this was to make us know how to see things like our co workers do but I don't see why I have to. Do your job and nothing else matters.

I feel like who I am what I do in my free time is for ME to dole out to people, or not. Not be forced to cough up in front of all my co workers so they can speculate and gossip even more.

Before I make those comments -- am I off base?

[leomama]

Originally Posted by Emily Fox Seaton

I had to attend a mandatory training recently on personality type. I have the opportunity to comment on the training and i am getting increasingly annoyed. It is me... or why does my employer and or co workers have any right whatsoever to know such personal information about me?


We were asked to

(1) state our hobbies. I stated mine. I was laughed at. Yes everyone laughed. Thank you training people for that lovely memory.

(2) we were asked to write down a personal memory from our youth and then give it to other people. We didn't know other people would be seeing it until we wrote it down. There were many awkward moments with this.

(3) we did our personality test and were divided into our groups. We were not told we would be divided into our groups when doing the test. Accordingly if you messed up the test or didn't take it seriously you could be in the wrong group and, forever, more, be labeled as a certain type of person with your co workers.


In theory this was to make us know how to see things like our co workers do but I don't see why I have to. Do your job and nothing else matters.


I feel like who I am what I do in my free time is for ME to dole out to people, or not. Not be forced to cough up in front of all my co workers so they can speculate and gossip even more.


Before I make those comments -- am I off base?

I don’t know, it sounds like fun to me. It may be possible you’re overreacting. Coworkers like to tease each other. You could tease them back. It may ease the tension.

[Crookedspin]

I can see how this would feel really invasive, and just quickly googled *mandatory personality tests at work* and it appears that a lot of people really don't like this stuff but feel under pressure to go along. There appear to also ADA and other legal issues. I don't mind this stuff as much as others do (we do a light version of 'team-building' at my job that I have found inoffensive and kind of fun, but it's very light)--but both the activities at your job and the manner in which they've been conducted sound really insensitive and not like something I'd want to participate in. It's cruelly ironic that these things are meant to illuminate our personal differences, yet fail to realize that these very differences mean that for some of us this will be extremely uncomfortable or unbearable. Just wanted to say I feel you on this, and there's a lot of stuff online (even from Wall Street Journal and Forbes) that questions the ethics and the usefulness of this stuff.

Originally Posted by Crookedspin

It's cruelly ironic that these things are meant to illuminate our personal differences, yet fail to realize that these very differences mean that for some of us this will be extremely uncomfortable or unbearable. Just wanted to say I feel you on this, and there's a lot of stuff online (even from Wall Street Journal and Forbes) that questions the ethics and the usefulness of this stuff.

Yes. A very awkward moment was when a co worker who is in a wheelchair wrote down how he got there on his childhood memory and then they asked the person who got his paper how he knew who the co worker was... er well. I felt for my friend in the wheelchair.. that had to hurt.

In the end all I am probably going to remember was how uncomfortable it was. And I don't see why it was mandatory.

[divine1966]

Yeah sounds weird. I have two people at work who are my friends outside of work so they know my hobbies. I don’t like to share my hobbies with others because I’ve been asked (many times) to make stuff for free or low pay or sell it to them-no way, not making or selling stuff for colleagues. My hobbies involve making something quite tangible. I prefer to keep it private. Wonder what they were laughing at you about. Like what hobbies could be possibly funny? Playing clown at children’s parties? Gee.

[hvert]

I hate those things. I am open with my opinions about them but am not sure it is worth it. I think it just gets me marked as having a bad attitude. I do contract work now and don't have to do stuff like that anymore, thankfully!

[seesaw]

I don't mind sharing my hobbies...there not like a huge secret, but my memories, I would balk at that. I would either refuse and say that it's invasive into my personal life or just write something totally vague, like I remember going to a baseball game, and just write that sentence.

I have very few memories of my childhood due to complex PTSD and I would find this activity to be discriminatory because I am disabled under the law.

I have done plenty of personality tests and team building at work and they have never required me to share such personal information. I would outright refuse. My private life is MY private life. None of their business.

Seesaw

[seesaw]

Originally Posted by leomama

I don’t know, it sounds like fun to me. It may be possible you’re overreacting. Coworkers like to tease each other. You could tease them back. It may ease the tension.

Teasing at work is also known as bullying, FYI.

[seesaw]

Originally Posted by divine1966

Yeah sounds weird. I have two people at work who are my friends outside of work so they know my hobbies. I don’t like to share my hobbies with others because I’ve been asked (many times) to make stuff for free or low pay or sell it to them-no way, not making or selling stuff for colleagues. My hobbies involve making something quite tangible. I prefer to keep it private. Wonder what they were laughing at you about. Like what hobbies could be possibly funny? Playing clown at children’s parties? Gee.

I'll be quite frank, I don't like a lot of people that I've worked with. I've respected that they're good at their jobs, and they have the right personality for their job, but I don't particularly develop personal relationships with co-workers because I simply do not enjoy spending time with that type of person. There's nothing wrong with them, I just wouldn't be friends with them. Acquaintances, sure. But that's it.

And, I don't have time for small talk, and when I'm at work, I want to work. I have no desire to be sociable or chit chat. I've learned to make some adjustments by making some small talk to make people comfortable, but I don't need it myself.

My clients really appreciate that I'm all about work and getting stuff done. I have found so much time is wasted in the workplace with people socializing instead of actually working. I do agree that some socializing and conversing can help the flow of the office, but some employers seem to think that everyone has to be friends outside of work to work there. And I just don't agree with that.

Why? Because I have PTSD and my personal life is difficult. Because I don't have family to chit chat with and because if I were to share my personal struggles with coworkers, I'd get fired (which I was) or ostracized...that too.

I put my foot down when employers get too invasive and I express that I think certain exercises were inappropriate. I don't think there's a problem with personality tests and the like, I have done quite a few of these exercises in the workplace that helped identify different communication styles and how to bridge those gaps...and they were super helpful.

But the one described by Emily sounds way out of line. Like, try to identify someone by their childhood memory? Like, my childhood memories are none of your business. I also think that, you can outsmart these things by picking information that is innocuous and you're willing to share. Like if someone had asked about hobbies, I could have just said, I enjoy reading. And that's all. And for memories, maybe pick something where I had won an award or something so it makes me look good but doesn't reveal anything too personal.

All these workplace assessments are games.

[leomama]

Originally Posted by seesaw

Teasing at work is also known as bullying, FYI.

Thank you for enlightening me. I never would’ve figured that out

[leomama]

How you choose to respond to workplace bullying is up to you

Originally Posted by seesaw

I put my foot down when employers get too invasive and I express that I think certain exercises were inappropriate. I don't think there's a problem with personality tests and the like, I have done quite a few of these exercises in the workplace that helped identify different communication styles and how to bridge those gaps...and they were super helpful.

I think personalty tests should be for you, and you alone. Not all your co workers. They should have talked about the types of people and not put everyone into groups. That way we could "think" about who we knew who might be that way and think about how we communicate but not have people "labeled".

After we had the training everyone was going around asking each other their color... and really it could be used against people and not at all accurate. Some people in my group imho shouldn't have been there.

I think I am going to say something.

Another disturbing trend that I am getting sick of and I don't see how to get out of... my workplace keeps having LONG mandatory trainings. Almost all are mandatory and all are stupid and in no way relate to our jobs. I would love more training on my actual job but that is hard. Stupid wishy washy stuff like this is easy and now, it seems, mandatory.

Originally Posted by divine1966

Like what hobbies could be possibly funny? Playing clown at children’s parties? Gee.

I said home improvement projects. Perhaps it was the way it was phrased or more likely that it was so unexpected from me. Either way, despite the smile, it hurt my feelings and I know I am going to have people making remarks for at least the next 6 months. Cause people do that.

One reason I don't give people any personal information in the first place. I should have said I didn't have any hobbies but I really didn't think anyone would even notice.

[divine1966]

Most of our mandatory trainings and professional developments are ridiculous. Luckily we are too broke to conduct this nonsense too often and they can’t make me pay for it. I pay for ton of stuff that I find important and that benefit my job. I am not paying for nonsense. I don’t sweat over this stuff though. Every job has some nonsense component. Saying that I believe if you address how inappropriate it is, they can’t force you to answer these questions. They aren’t in a job description.

[divine1966]

Originally Posted by Emily Fox Seaton

I said home improvement projects. Perhaps it was the way it was phrased or more likely that it was so unexpected from me. Either way, despite the smile, it hurt my feelings and I know I am going to have people making remarks for at least the next 6 months. Cause people do that.

One reason I don't give people any personal information in the first place. I should have said I didn't have any hobbies but I really didn't think anyone would even notice.

Gee. Home improvement is a normal hobby. What so funny? My husband has a hobby that traditionally only women partake, don’t know any other men. He tells everybody though and doesn’t care if people laugh. But I’d be pissed if people laugh. It’s mean.

[seesaw]

Originally Posted by leomama

Thank you for enlightening me. I never would’ve figured that out

No problem.

[IceCreamKid]

Originally Posted by Emily Fox Seaton

I had to attend a mandatory training recently on personality type. I have the opportunity to comment on the training and i am getting increasingly annoyed. It is me... or why does my employer and or co workers have any right whatsoever to know such personal information about me?
...

I feel like who I am what I do in my free time is for ME to dole out to people, or not. Not be forced to cough up in front of all my co workers so they can speculate and gossip even more.

Before I make those comments -- am I off base?

I so agree with you. They are big on this sort of thing where I work but I have noticed that many people seem to have ready responses that may not actually be the truth, but what they want others to think about them professionally. You have the right to a private life. By the way, I admire people who like to do home improvement projects.

What's so funny about home improvement projects? Sounds like these colleagues may have been feeling awkward and just laughing at anything.

When I volunteered for a national charity I went on a similar course, I remember getting laughed at because they asked me to name a situation in my life I could not make my mind about and I said which hallway carpet to choose - it was true but not a deeply personal serious choice, I was hardly likely to share that with a group of random colleagues!!

Agree with Divine, this stuff is largely nonsense (& you always get someone with few inhibitions who just loves talking about themselves at length which makes these things extra squirmy). Take with large dose of salt and shrug it off - but I agree such a huge waste of money (& mine was financed by a charity!!).