Latest news with #Myers-Briggs
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
British woman awarded $50,000 after being dubbed ‘Darth Vader' in office quiz
Ms Lorna Rooke, who was publicly compared to Star Wars villain Darth Vader during a workplace quiz, had testified that the incident exacerbated her stress and anxiety at work. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY A team bonding activity meant to build camaraderie veered into the dark side and ended in a lawsuit after a supervisor was publicly compared to Star Wars villain Darth Vader during a workplace quiz. Ms Lorna Rooke, a former training supervisor at NHS Blood and Transplant, a Britis h organisation that manages blood donations, was awarded £28,989.61 (S$50,060) by an employment tribunal, which found that the incident amounted to workplace ' detriment '. Ms Rooke had joined the NHS Blood and Transplant servic e in 2003 , taking on the role of a training and practice supervisor. According to a May 7 report by British daily The Guardian, the episode took place in August 2021 during a team-bonding session featuring a Star Wars-themed personality test. Ms Rooke had stepped away to take a personal phone call, and in her absence, a colleague completed the quiz on her behalf. Upon returning, she was told - in front of the entire team - that her result was Darth Vader. While that might sound like a badge of cool in a sci-fi fan club, the tribunal did not see it that way. Darth Vader, for the uninitiated, is the helmeted villain from the Star Wars movie franchise - a feared enforcer known for his cruelty and tendency to choke those who disagree with him with the power of 'the force'. The quiz description painted Vader as 'a very focused individual who brings the team together', but e mployment judge Kathryn Ramsden found the comparison 'insulting '. She noted that making the announcement in a group setting only amplified its impact, saying it was 'li ttle wonde r' that Ms Rooke felt upset. Ms Rooke testified that the incident contributed to feelings of being 'unpopular' and exacerbated her stress and anxiety at work. She resigned the following month, bringing an end to about 18 years with the organisation. While the tribunal hearing in London stopped short of linking the quiz directly to her resignation, it concluded that the episode was harmful enough to warrant compensation under British employment law. The tribunal also remarked that the quiz - described as 'a Myers-Brig gs questionnaire with a Star Wars theme' - reflected the colleague's own views of Ms Rooke, rather than any legitimate assessment. The Myers-Briggs quiz, a po pular personality test that categorises people into psychological types, was later clarified by the Myers-Briggs Company as not being an official assessment . Ms R ooke's additiona l claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination were dismissed. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
I'm disagreeable – and it's backed by science. Can I change my personality?
The other day, a friend decided to playfully name our individual roles within the group: planner, emotional support, and so on. I was the fault-finder – or, as she put it, 'the grumpy teenager' – who points out problems, but doesn't suggest alternatives. She was only kidding around, but she struck at an insecurity I have: that I'm unacceptably, intolerably negative. My first instinct is to stress-test ideas for potential flaws. This critical tendency serves me well professionally, and feels true to who I am. If I don't enjoy a film, for example, I don't swallow my opinion. But I sometimes worry that it's not much fun to be around, and may be working against me in my personal life. What I experience as an even, nuanced discussion about the new Bridget Jones film, or the works of Joan Didion, friends will sometimes remember as a heated debate. I wanted to know if I could objectively measure this 'grumpiness'. Personality testing is a notoriously inexact science (and in the case of the Myers-Briggs, scarcely a science at all). But the so-called 'big five' test is considered the most robust. It assesses agreeableness (including empathy, cooperativeness and social skills), openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion and neuroticism: together summarised as 'Ocean'. When I took a free big five test online, the results were as I'd suspected. My highest ranking was 81 points for openness; by contrast, I scored just 33 for agreeableness. Does that mean I'm doomed to be disagreeable? Or can I change who I am? *** Journalist Olga Khazan has bad news for me. 'Agreeableness is the toughest one to change,' she says. Khazan, a staff writer at the Atlantic magazine, should know. She spent an entire year trying to change her personality – documented in her new book Me, But Better. Having recently decided to start a family, Khazan recognised that her flinty, lonerish tendencies might not serve her well in motherhood. To increase her extraversion, she took improv comedy classes, forced herself to throw parties and attended MeetUp groups of like-minded strangers. In the process, she discovered that personality was not a consistent, immutable truth. 'You have certain proclivities, but it is flexible – you do evolve over time, and if you want to change, you can change even faster,' she says. Even genetic factors aren't impervious to the environment. Attending university, for example, can foster openness as it exposes you to new ideas, different people or opportunities to travel. Two factors seem particularly pertinent to tweaking your personality, Khazan goes on. 'One is mindset: 'I would like to be like this, and I believe I can change.'' The other is follow-through – 'you have to actually do the behaviours associated with the new personality trait'. To some extent, personality change is about faking it 'til you make it, Khazan says: there's no bigger secret than 'go out and do it, for the rest of your life'. With time and repetition, improv, socialising with strangers and otherwise extending herself became easier. 'It doesn't necessarily feel like eating your spinach and running a marathon every day – it starts to feel more like just what you would like to do.' It's not that there are bad personalities, or that you should aspire to a total overhaul, Khazan adds. But if we stick with easy, instinctual or habitual behaviours, we may sell ourselves short. 'We tend to, over time, fall into patterns and habits that could use an update – to put it mildly,' she says. Now a parent, Khazan's experiments in extraversion are paying off. 'I've had a totally different approach to motherhood than I think I [otherwise] would have,' she says. 'I've really made it a point to join new mom groups, reach out to other new moms and cultivate new-mom friends.' Before her personality-change project, she would probably 'have tried to white-knuckle it', Khazan says. ''I'm not a joiner,' 'I don't need these other people,' 'I'm not like other moms' – I would have had more of that mentality.' Such 'limiting beliefs' about ourselves are often at the root of our disagreeable behaviours, Khazan writes. When I voice all the flaws I identified in a film, for example, it may come from a desire to express myself authentically or prove that I was engaged. Cultivating curiosity for what my friends thought could be a small step towards developing agreeableness, suggests Khazan. 'You could still hang on to those thoughts, and that skill of analyzing things really closely, but you could also start to mention some things you did like, or get interested in why the other person liked it.' But every group dynamic is different, Khazan adds, kindly: some friends might be accepting of my critical tendencies, even appreciative. 'That part of you might not need to be changed … Not everyone is for everyone.' *** Often people mistake agreeableness for being a chump or a pushover – 'just doing whatever everyone else says', says Khazan. But it's more about social skills, including picking your moment and knowing your audience. It's arduous work but worthwhile, Khazan suggests. People who rank high in agreeableness are happier, less likely to get divorced, have a high quality of life and are more resilient to adversity. People who rank lowest are generally psychopaths. I scored 33 points, not 0 – but I know what direction to be moving in. Many people seek to change their personality to make themselves more likable or gain others' approval. But there's also a selfish case, Khazan says. Addressing blindspots or imbalances can help us achieve our goals, and feel happier and more fulfilled. At the very least, the attempt can make us more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Khazan quotes the writer Gretchen Rubin: ''Accept yourself, but also expect better of yourself' – I think that's a good philosophy.' More from Why am I like this:Trying to become just a bit more agreeable feels forced at first, just as Khazan warned. But with time and attention, I start to better attune to social interactions. In conversations I try to catch myself before launching into my opinion, to assess whether it was really solicited, and look for opportunities to ask questions instead of making yet another comment. After two weeks of gentle effort, I realise that when I start being negative for no real reason, I'm probably feeling over-tired, socially awkward or both. It's strange to notice that I ramp up my views in hopes of generating energy or engaging my conversational partner. This feels productive: I might not have changed my personality, but I've gained more grasp on its expression. If 'who we are' is fluid, perhaps I can think of cultivating self-awareness and positive change as growth. Call it 1% more agreeable – or at least less psychopathic. Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change by Olga Khazan is out now
NDTV
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
UK Woman Wins Rs 34 Lakh Compensation After Colleague Compares Her To Darth Vader
Quick Reads Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. A UK woman received £28,989 in compensation for workplace comparison. The tribunal ruled the Darth Vader comparison caused harm to Ms. Rooke. Judge found the nickname was not perceived positively by the employees. A UK woman has won almost 30,000 pounds (approximately Rs 34 lakh) in compensation after being compared to 'Star Wars' villain Darth Vader by her co-worker. According to the BBC, Lorna Rooke, an NHS blood donation worker, brought a complaint against her co-worker, who had taken a Star Wars-themed online personality test on her behalf and told colleagues that Ms Rooke fell into Darth Vader's category. She claimed that the comparison made her unpopular among coworkers and contributed to her decision to resign a month later. Now, an employment tribunal in Croydon, south London, found that the incident was a "Detriment", meaning it caused harm or a negative impact to Ms Rooke. "Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting," employment judge Kathryn Ramsden said, per the BBC. The tribunal heard that in 2003, Ms Rooke began working for the NHS Blood and Transplant service as a training and practice supervisor. In 2021, members of her team took a Star Wars-themed Myers-Briggs questionnaire as a team-building exercise. Ms Rooke did not participate as she had to take a personal phone call. When she returned, her colleague Amander Harber had filled out he test on her behalf and announced she had the same personality as the 'Star Wars' villain. The Darth Vader category was described in the quiz as a "very focused individual who brings the team together". However, the judge was not convinced that the categorisation had any positive attributes. Judge Kathryn Ramsden said that on the basis that the test was done on the perception of another colleague and then shared with the group, it was "little wonder" that Ms Rooke was upset by it. The tribunal rejected Ms Rooke's claim that the "Darth Vader incident" prompted her to quit her job. Ms Rooke won the case for detriment after a protected disclosure but lost claims for unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments. She was awarded 28,989.61 pounds in compensation, as per The Independent. "We acknowledge the outcome of the tribunal. We are committed to maintaining and continually improving a respectful and inclusive workplace for all colleagues," an NHS spokesperson said.
Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Health Worker Compared to Darth Vader by Colleagues Awarded Nearly $40,000
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A blood donation supervisor in the U.K.'s publicly-funded healthcare system has been awarded £28,989.61 (approximately $38,500), according to the BBC, after an employment tribunal found that being compared to Star Wars villain Darth Vader by colleagues constituted a workplace "detriment." The tribunal heard that National Health Service (NHS) employee Lorna Rooke was associated with the Sith Lord during a team-building exercise, based on a Star Wars-themed personality questionnaire that her colleague, Amanda Harber, completed on her behalf without her knowledge or consent. Why It Matters The NHS is the U.K.'s largest public sector employer. The case underscores the potential risks of informal workplace activities, particularly those involving personality assessments or character comparisons. It emphasizes the duty of employers to foster a respectful environment and demonstrates that even humorous or light-hearted team-building efforts can have serious consequences if perceived as demeaning. File photo: a Darth Vader costumed character participates in the Star Wars themed Empire State Building lighting ceremony on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in New York. File photo: a Darth Vader costumed character participates in the Star Wars themed Empire State Building lighting ceremony on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in New York. Evan Agostini/Invision via AP What To Know According to the employment tribunal documents, Rooke had filed a complaint that a colleague had compared her to Darth Vader on August 18, 2021, which made her feel "unpopular." The documents detail that the respondent said this came as part of the whole team taking a Myers-Briggs questionnaire with a Star Wars theme, with the output characterizing each of them as a character from George Lucas' space opera. A Myers-Briggs questionnaire is personality assessment tool, which categorizes individuals into 16 different personality types based on their perceptions and how they make decisions. "The Claimant was temporarily absent from the room, and upon her return was told that Ms Harber had completed the test on her behalf, which had resulted in her being categorized as "Darth Vader," the documents read. The Darth Vader personality classification was described "as someone who was a very focused individual who brings the team together," the tribunal was told by the NHS Blood and Transplant service. In the sci-fi franchise, Darth Vader—adorned in a black helmet, mask and armor—is one of the main antagonists, who serves as the ruthless enforcer for a tyrannical galactic empire. He commands fear, uses supernatural powers called "the Force," and is known for his deep, mechanical breathing. Beneath his terrifying exterior, he has a tragic past—once a heroic warrior, he was corrupted by power and manipulated into turning against his allies. Rooke claimed that Harber "did not have reasonable and proper cause" to complete the test on her behalf, and that it was "collectively calculated or likely to destroy or seriously damage the implied term of trust and confidence" between Rooke and her colleague. Rooke also made claims of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and others. According to the tribunal documents, Rooke had been determined as having a disability under the Equality Act 2010 by an employment judge, namely "anxiety and low mood." This came after Rooke had taken September 14, 2020 to 14 March, 2021, off work due to "low mood and stress," while she was "experiencing difficulties with getting her mother's dementia diagnosed" as well as work-related stress. While the tribunal rejected her additional claims of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, and failure to make reasonable adjustments, it acknowledged the negative impact of the unauthorized comparison on her professional environment. What People Are Saying Judge Kathryn Ramsden said: "Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting." What Happens Next Although Rooke's claims regarding dismissal and discrimination were not upheld, the case could influence workplace practices and HR policies across the public and private sectors given the recognition of the personality test as being a workplace "detriment."
Global News
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Woman awarded $55K by tribunal after being compared to Darth Vader
An NHS worker in the U.K. has been awarded close to £30,000 (CAD $55,000) after being compared to Star Wars bad guy Darth Vader at work by a former colleague. Lorna Rooke said in 2021 a co-worker took a Star Wars-themed Myers-Briggs personality test on her behalf that likens participants to one of the franchise's characters. Rooke, a blood donation bank employee, was given Darth Vader — the Sith lord widely viewed as one of the most powerful, hated villains of the franchise — as her personality doppelganger, but says she was not present when her colleague, Amanda Harber, took the quiz for her, saying she had left the room to answer a personal phone call. Harber then disseminated the results among their colleagues, reported the BBC. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Myers-Briggs is a well-known personality indicator test that divides people into 16 categories based on traits of introversion, how intuitive they are, whether they are thought- or feelings-driven and how they perceive and judge their environments. Story continues below advertisement An employment tribunal in Croydon, London, ruled that the incident was a 'detriment' because it harmed Rooke and impacted her negatively, reported the BBC. As a result of the quiz, Rooke was made to feel widely disliked, which contributed to her low mood and led her to feel anxious in the workplace, found the tribunal. The Darth Vader characterization was described by the quiz as a 'very focused individual who brings the team together.' Nonetheless, the judge found the categorization to be overly negative. 'Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting,' Judge Kathryn Ramsden said. The infamous villain is half-human, half-machine, seduced by the dark side of the Force. Because the test was performed by one person for another, without their knowledge, and the results were disseminated amongst a group, Ramsden said it was 'little wonder' the claimant was upset. Rooke began working for the NHS Blood and Transplant service in 2003, where she was employed as a training and practice supervisor until the Darth Vader incident, which, according to media reports, was a contributing factor to her resignation. She won the detriment case but lost on other claims of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments. Story continues below advertisement In total, Rook was compensated £28,989.62, which equates to CAD $53,288.76.
