Nice guys earn less than nastier colleagues

Nice guys really do finish last, at least as far as pay packets

Nice guys earn less than nastier colleagues (Getty Images)

are concerned.

That’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that men who are pleasant at work get an average of 1,500-pound a year less than those who are more aggressive.

To reach the conclusion, experts looked at the link between personality and pay, reports The Daily Express.

Researchers for the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex claim their study shows that the amiable are on average paid less.

Similar pay penalties applied to other personality traits. Men who were classed as neurotic also earned less than colleagues.

However, males who are seen by bosses as extroverts and open to new experiences are paid the best.

In the study, researchers had grouped the men into five ­personality types: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. They studied 3,000 men aged between 24 and 64.

Researcher Dr Cheti Nicoletti said: “The results show that agreeableness and neuroticism are penalised while extroversion is rewarded.

“While it is generally considered fair that workers who are smarter or better educated are paid more, unequal pay across workers with different personality traits – but who are otherwise identical – could be considered unfair.”