• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Successsuccess
Europe

Are you an office ‘detective’ or ‘road warrior’? The five types of workers, according to Slack—and a couple are more likely than the rest to become the next Bill Gates

Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 10, 2023, 7:15 AM ET
Luis Alvarez—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Think your AI skills aren’t sharp enough to climb up the corporate ladder? Worried you might be too much of an ideas person? Or do you feel like you just spend too much time lingering around colleagues’ desks and not enough in front of a spreadsheet?

Never fear. You might have accidentally built yourself the perfect resume to enter the C-Suite one day.

A quiz developed by Slack and polling company YouGov identified five workplace personalities, which encapsulate the typical post-COVID worker. But those who become bosses in the future might look a lot different to those who have come before them.

The detective

Detectives, who apparently make up a third of the Western workforce, describe themselves as organized, independent, and outcomes-oriented. 

Driven by a sense of purpose at work and job security, they’re more likely to sprout up in the Western hustle culture. They make up around a third of the U.K. and U.S. workforce and skew older.

“Because they love data, they can be a little bit intimidating,” said Dr Lynda Shaw, a business psychologist involved in the study.

The networker

If you’re a networker, you’re the life of the office. You thrive off face-to-face communication and lean on those intangible skills for progression in the workplace. Networkers get most of their motivation from building relationships with colleagues and are more likely to hate working from home.

They’re also empathetic. Shaw describes networkers as having an ability to “collect data” based on how a colleague is feeling, and have the emotional intelligence to address it. 

“They are very natural at collecting both professional and personal data,” says Shaw. 

Together, detectives and networkers make up nearly two-thirds of the Western workforce, based on the findings. They’re a much smaller cohort in Asian markets. 

The road warrior

A new breed of worker that has cropped up since the COVID-19 pandemic is the road warrior. These are the folks who came into their own during lockdowns, when communication came through messaging, phone calls, and video chats, and problems often needed to be solved independently. 

They’re also most likely to be unhappy with hastening return-to-office mandates sweeping the workforce. And because of their independence, Shaw says, they can be quite “feisty.”

And if you listen to New York University business professor Suzy Welch, these workers are probably the least likely to rise to the top of the boardroom. 

“The young people who choose to have that life—that go into work maybe one or two days a week or never, and work entirely remotely—they may have a version of success that is not our version of success,” Welch told Insider.

The problem solver

The problem solver is easier understood as that person in the office who has already found a use for ChatGPT and is using co-pilots to help them do their job. 

They’re the early adopters of all sorts of technology in the office. Like the “Detective,” the problem solver is data-driven but also finds hacks and workarounds to make their jobs easier.

“I expect to see the problem solver be an integral part of an organization because they’re going to be the people that adopt artificial intelligence much faster and find ways to make their jobs much easier,” Chris Mills, Slack’s head of customer success, told Fortune.

There’s a deficiency of problem solvers across the West, compared with Asian workplaces. That might not be a surprise with surveys showing workers aren’t being taught vital AI skills by their bosses. 

The expressionist

Expressionists’ behavior is more in line with networkers, as they show a desire to communicate with colleagues and don’t appear to be as concerned with job security. The main difference is how they communicate, with a preference for informal messaging. That can come in many forms, like emojis, gifs, and memes, or just jokes.

Unsurprisingly, young workers are most likely to regard themselves as expressionists, but there aren’t many. Less than 10% of workers across the U.S. and Europe identified themselves as having traits in line with an expressionist.

The informal nature of expressionists can rub older colleagues up the wrong way. Alex Mahon, the CEO of the British TV station Channel 4, said Gen Zers didn’t have the skills to debate since the pandemic. 

‌“They haven’t got the skills to discuss things, they haven’t got the skills to disagree,” said Mahon.

A new type of CEO 

Workers are always nervous about how their communication style may impact their chances of a promotion. According to Shaw, those that are able to do it well might become your boss in a few year’s time. 

“I know CEOs and business founders who are accountants and lawyers by training. I also know some who are very people-orientated and totally focussed on gathering intelligence from their employees or customers and clients,” Shaw told Fortune. 

“In the future, I believe leaders will increasingly be those that demonstrate empathy and a better understanding of people, which bodes well for the expressionist and networker personalities.”

Shaw isn’t alone in her prediction that more sociable workers may have an easier time making it into the C-suite. Whether it’s because of the proliferation of automation or a declining number of people able to do so, demand for bosses who can communicate is on the rise.

The need for bosses to have social skills has risen by nearly 30% since 2000, according to an analysis of 5,000 CEO job descriptions published in the Harvard Business Review last year. Jobs asking for experience managing financial and material resources, meanwhile, have plummeted nearly 40%. 

Even AI is increasingly becoming the domain of the creative, communicative worker. Prompt engineers, for example, can make huge salaries coming from diverse backgrounds to instruct large language models on how to pump out the correct information. 

When Genefa Murphy was hired as chief marketing officer at the online learning platform Udemy in June, a big emphasis was put on how she would translate the company’s goals to her employees.

She thinks social skills are quickly becoming just as important as technical ones as AI takes over the more arduous side of many peoples’ jobs.

“I think it will always be a balance, but we do see that those types of skills are surging, for sure,” Murphy told Fortune.

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
About the Author
Ryan Hogg
By Ryan HoggEurope News Reporter

Ryan Hogg was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
RetailNike
Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 30, 2026
5 hours ago
Young worker at desk
SuccessGen Z
Remote-first fintech giant Revolut is making the office compulsory for new Gen Z grads—and they’ll earn flexibility like their peers after one year
By Emma BurleighJune 30, 2026
10 hours ago
Henry Kravis
SuccessCareers
KKR cofounder once impressed Roy Disney with a habit most analysts skipped—it turned a 1-hour meeting into all-day mentorship: ‘I thought I’d died and gone to heaven’
By Preston ForeJune 30, 2026
11 hours ago
Bill Gates (left) and Warren Buffett
SuccessWarren Buffett
Warren Buffett breaks from a ‘lifetime’ pledge to the Gates Foundation as the Epstein fallout deepens
By Sydney LakeJune 30, 2026
11 hours ago
kean
PoliticsElections
New Jersey Republican to reappear in Congress after unexplained 4-month absence
By Mike Catalini and The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
13 hours ago
swiss
EuropeHeat
It’s so hot in Switzerland that yodelers are standing in fountains
By Jez Fielder and The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.