How Important is Popularity at Work?

Many of us would like to think that the days of fussing and worrying over our popularity factor ended when we got out of high school. After all, isn't success in the real world supposed to be based on merit and hard work? Despite the fact that most of us realize that the real world isn't fair, we would still like to think that in the workplace, it is about the work we do, not who we are or how many people like us. Is that accurate, however, or is the issue of popularity alive and well in the work environment?

Let us consider two workers-one works incredibly hard and everyone in the office knows how competent, capable and hard-working she is, but they also know how challenging she is to get along with and she is generally disliked by all her coworkers and supervisors. The other worker is a reasonably hard worker, but she has a tendency to get distracted and is not nearly as competent. In fact, most people would consider her of average capabilities and competence levels. This worker is very social, however, and she gets along well with coworkers and supervisors. She always seems to know what to say and remembers birthdays, anniversaries and communicates well in meetings and on other projects. Who is the one who is likely to be most successful in the company?

While popularity might not hold the same importance it does in high school-being well-liked DOES matter at work. In the adult work world, popularity is generally based on a strong ability to communicate effectively and to work well with others-these really are important skills for the job market. In fact, some employers and supervisors would argue that the work skills can be taught much easier than social skills can be cultivated and this is what makes those who can get along well with others and communicate well in a variety of situations more valuable than those incredibly hard, competent workers.

This does not give us a license to slide by on our looks or personality-the work we do still matters but cultivating solid people and social skills may help give us the leg up we need to be even more successful at work.