Finally, a tool to assess dark personality

Mettl, one of India’s largest and fastest growing talent assessment and skill-measurement companies, has collaborated with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) for a new study and tool on dark traits in human personality. This tool can help organisations to prevent some of the distressing instances at work and ensure customer safety. Titled ‘Uncovering the Dark Traits of Human Personality’: Strive for Better Work Culture and Customer Safety’. The research report comprises findings from a survey conducted by Mettl and SHRM among several organisations from across various industries, along with inputs from experienced industry leaders and an in-depth analysis of the various personality and behavioural traits in their employees across 23 sectors and 43 specific job roles. 

Based on these findings, the 8-year old start-up which has the vision to equip organisations with tools to build winning teams — has identified six dark traits that tend to incite undesirable behaviour among employees, which in turn negatively affect the organisation’s internal work culture, profits, employer branding, image as well as relations with external stakeholders. 

Mettl’s new talent assessment named Mettl Dark Personality Inventory (MDPI), has established a framework to customise MDPI for specific use cases across industries and job roles/levels. It also points towards the riskiest job roles and industries, where the presence of moderate to high levels of certain dark traits can potentially harm a company’s reputation or even human life. In this framework, job roles and industries have been divided into three zones, red, yellow, and green, based on the degree of impact/harm.

The study also identified a few key industries that are most vulnerable to dark traits, namely cab services, schools, banks, cab drivers, huge data centers, social media, and daycares. 

On the report launch, Tonmoy Shingal, Co-founder, and COO, Mettl, commented, “MDPI is India’s first and one of its kind assessment tool, which has been co-created after extensive research. Being a co-founder and a father to 5-year old, I feel that MDPI would fill a huge gap prevalent in society and would make a significant difference in our professional as well as personal lives as far as we talk about prevention of safety.” 

Achal Khanna, CEO SHRM India, on this launch said, “This is a very practical tool and an imperative need of the present day”. 

This new tool aims to be used extensively as a hygiene factor before every organisation makes its people decisions to ensure that they aren’t sowing the seeds for its next disaster. Organisations can also use dark personality assessments to create a safe place for customers and employees. Furthermore, HRs can deploy dark personality assessments to prevent hiring potentially dangerous employees that can jeopardise work culture, organisational productivity, and customer safety.  — TNS

Negative traits

• Self-Obsession (focus on oneself) 
• Opportunism (taking advantage of any situation for personal well being) 
• Temperamental (reacting to situations violently)
• Insensitive (being apathetic towards others) 
• Thrill-seeking (taking high-risk decisions) 
• Impulsiveness (hasty decision making)