Is Being Sociable A Key to Success?

In This Issue:

1. Is Being Sociable A Key to Success?
2. Non-compliance With The EEOC Can Be Expensive
3. Top Four Characteristics of Successful Restaurateurs
4. PsyMax On The Road

1. Is Being Sociable A Key to Success?

Do you mingle easily with people in any situation? Do others expect you to be the life of the party? Do you consider yourself to be a highly sociable person? If you've answered Yes to any of these questions, a career in a people oriented industry could be both personally and financially very rewarding.

According to a study just completed by PsyMax Solutions, sociability is crucial to career success in some industries and not others. We recently analyzed data on 15 different work styles of over 13,000 people in 12 industries and identified the key behaviors and skill profiles of the most effective managers.

Sociability means being able to relate to others in a highly-engaging, expressive and lively style. Sociability alone won't guarantee success in any particular business or organization but based on comprehensive scientific and statistical data, sociable skills emerge as a strong predictor of success in certain fields when compared with others.

The insurance industry recorded the highest median score for Sociable skills. In contrast, Sociable Workstyle ranked lowest for those working in the research and scientific areas.

A low sociable score should not preclude the success of an individual in any industry. The PsyMax statistical models shed light on overall patterns and aspects such as industry fit, but they should not disqualify anyone from an opportunity. A person may project, for example, other competencies and behaviors which are more valued and likely to increase their chances for success in a specific industry.

Today, behavioral assessments of applicants and existing employees are being used more frequently. For employers, they can provide guidance in the selection and development of their new people. Companies also use them to improve their "bench strength" with existing employees and ultimately develop their next generation of leadership. For individuals, a behavioral assessment can help clarify their career path and alignment with what's needed for success in an industry.

The Sociable Workstyle rankings for the 12 industries in the PsyMax study are as follows:

Rank	Sector	Score	Rating
1.	Insurance	78.8	Very High
2.	Healthcare/Medical Services Utilities Personnel/HR/Training Education	65.5	High
3.	Retailing/Wholesale General Manufacturing Accounting/Banking/Financial Services Communications/Telecommunications Computer/Office Equipment	57.9	Average
4.	Pharmaceutical/Medical Products	38.2	Low
5.	Research/Scientific	18.4	Very Low

2. Non-compliance With The EEOC Can Be Expensive

Trying to find and hire good employees is tough enough for most businesses. What is even harder is making sure a company stays in compliance with federal employment regulations. The EEOC is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the nation's anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. The EEOC also provides oversight and coordination of all federal equal employment opportunity regulations, practices, and policies.

The EEOC is the official federal watch dog for:

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination. This law applies to most employers with one or more employees.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older and applies to employers with twenty (20) or more employees.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments.

Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations.

The Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

In the most recent federal government fiscal year, the EEOC has been brought in on cases involving employment issues ranging from age and sexual discrimination to pregnancy and race discrimination. The number of cases, variety of charges and the amount of monetary damages being awarded are significant and worth noting.

In 2005, the EEOC received:

• 16,585 charges of age discrimination, resolved 14,076 and recovered $77.7 million in monetary benefits for charging parties
• 14,893 charges of disability discrimination, resulting in $44.8 million in monetary benefits for charging parties
• 970 charges of compensation discrimination, resolved 889 cases which recovered from employers $3.1 million in monetary benefits
• 8035 charges of national origin discrimination resulting in monetary benefits of $19.4 million for charging parties
• 4449 charges of pregnancy based discrimination resulting in $11.6 million in monetary benefits for charging parties
• 26,740 charges of race discrimination which resulted in monetary damages totaling $76.5 million
• 2340 charges of religious discrimination resulting in monetary damages of $6.1 million for charging parties
• 23,094 charges of sex-based discrimination which recovered $91.3 million in monetary benefits for charging parties
• 12,769 charges of sexual harassment which result in $47.9 million in monetary benefits for charging parties
• 22,740 charges of retaliation discrimination resulting in $90 million in monetary benefits for charging parties

Based on the completed cases noted above, the cost to employers involved in these cases was $468.4 million. The average damage amount awarded was about $3000 for each occurrence. The final tab goes up even more once lost staff time, outside legal fees and administrative costs are calculated.

To stay in compliance with federal guidelines in the area of selection and hiring new personnel, it is important to be utilizing human resource tools and services that meet all current federal regulations.

The PsyMax suite of assessment, development and coaching products were developed and validated in compliance with current EEOC, applicable federal regulations and case law. PsyMax specifically adheres to the Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP); the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME); and the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978), Federal Register, 43(166), 38296-38309.

3. Top Four Characteristics of Successful Restaurateurs

One of the toughest businesses on earth is operating a restaurant. Long hours are the norm and the physical demands can be enormous.

What characteristics are needed for success in the restaurant business? Why do some people thrive while others barely survive? Often the difference between winning and losing comes down to attitude and personality.

Recently more than 200 restaurateurs completed the PsyMax Solutions Work Style Assessment as part of a study conducted in conjunction with Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine and RestaurantOwner.com. All participants in the study are members of RestaurantOwner.com and subscribe to the magazine. The objective of this study was to determine the key characteristics needed for achieving success in the restaurant industry.

The following is a list of the top four work styles that emerged in our study as characteristics of successful restaurant owner-operators.

1. Creative - 66% of successful restaurant owners-operators in the study showed "High" or "Very High" Creative scores. Creative individuals tend to both generate and embrace new ideas and new ways of doing things. If fact, they will often challenge the status quo. Additionally, those with above average Creative scores are generally able to adapt to change in rather resourceful ways, and they willingly accept calculated risks. While it is clear to see why creativity is vital in the restaurant business, highly creative restaurateurs should be aware that they may need to guard against taking unnecessary risks, changing merely for the sake of change, or rejecting well-tested approaches.

2. Independent - 62% received above average Independent scores. Individuals who show high scores in this area enjoy autonomy. Independent individuals have a sense of courage and generally engage in self-directed activities, charting their own courses of action. Moreover, Independent individuals tend to rely on themselves rather than depend on others. As a restaurateur, an Independent work style will be helpful in planning and growing a business in a self-sufficient way. At the same time, a strongly Independent individual may be hesitant to seek help from others or admit a true vulnerability. Independent individuals must be cautious of appearing as mavericks and accept support when appropriate.

3. Influential - 58% earned above average Influential scores. Influential individuals exercise authority with ease and enjoy being in control. They are eager to take charge, and they are usually comfortable exerting leadership and providing direction. Of course, in order to be an effective leader, it is important to avoid abusing power or coming across as intimidating. If managed effectively, however, an Influential work style will prove to be beneficial to restaurateurs as they manage, lead, and provide direction to others.

4. Collaborative - 56% of successful owner-operators demonstrated "High" or "Very High" Collaborative scores. Those with Collaborative work styles tend to act in a cooperative fashion. They work to foster win-win interactions with others and strive to create synergy by accomplishing goals and objectives through teamwork. As restaurateurs build and manage their teams, a Collaborative work style is essential in establishing solid partnerships and effective, cohesive work groups. Highly collaborative individuals must keep in mind, however, that while a focus on maintaining team harmony is advantageous, one may need to guard against giving in too easily or appearing hesitant to take an authoritative stance.

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4. PsyMax On the Road

PsyMax is exhibiting at the following conferences and trade shows. If you plan on attending any of these events please stop by our booth to say hello.

July 26
HR Star Conference
Cleveland, OH

September 20-22
MISHRM Conference
Grand Rapids, MI

October 4-5
HR Technology, Booth #110
Navy Pier - Chicago, IL

About PsyMax Solutions

PsyMax Solutions offers an on-demand and integrated Human Capital website that provides world class assessment, interviewing, development, coaching, career, and 360° reports and programs for employees and managers. The PsyMax Solutions product suite is based on the work of psychologists who have conducted and written reports for over 20,000 managers. Our product suite generates results equal in quality, but at a fraction of the cost.

The PsyMax Solutions product suite is ready for immediate use without time-consuming and expensive consulting and IT set-up costs. In minutes you can create your own customized Human Capital website and use our integrated product suite to align your recruitment and development processes. To learn more about PsyMax Solutions, please visit us on the web at www.psymaxsolutions.com, e-mail us at info@psymaxsolutions.com, or call us at 866.774.2273.

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