A successful career in hospitality requires a certain disposition, one that is warm, positive, and enthusiastic. Possess these traits (and commit to working hard) and you may achieve much in a hotel or restaurant job. However—if you’re married or in a long-term relationship—new research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests there’s another factor that may influence your potential for advancement: the personality of your spouse.
The research authors, Joshua Jackson, Ph.D. an assistant professor of psychology in Arts and Sciences, and Brittany Solomon, a graduate student in psychology, based their findings on a five-year study of 4,544 heterosexual married adults ranging in age from 19 to 89 years. The data examined included responses to psychological tests designed to assess five broad measures of personality (openness, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) as well as annual surveys designed to measure occupational success (from job satisfaction to salary increases and promotions).
Workers who scored the highest in terms of occupational success tended to have spouses with high conscientiousness scores. The relationship held true for both men and women. It was also consistent among single and dual-income couples, though the authors noted that a partner’s conscientiousness had the greatest impact on a spouse’s income when that partner did not work his or herself.
“The experiences responsible for this association are not likely isolated events where the spouse convinces you to ask for a raise or promotion,” said Jackson in a recent article on the university’s website. “Instead, a spouse’s personality influences many daily factors that sum up and accumulate across time to afford one the many actions necessary to receive a promotion or a raise.”
Jackson and his co-author identified three ways in which conscientious spouses may help their partners achieve greater success at work. First, they may take on more of the day-to-day household chores, freeing the other to focus more time on his or her career. Second, their spouse may begin to emulate their good habits, bringing raise-worthy traits such as diligence and reliability to the workplace. And finally, a conscientious spouse reduces stress in the relationship, making it easier for both partners to maintain a productive work-life balance.
What does this mean for you? If you’re married or single with a significant other, conscientious behavior towards one another could significantly improve your hospitality career—whether you’re an entry-level worker or in an upper management position. And if you’re not in a committed relationship, you might want to start evaluating potential mates on more than appearance and agreeableness. An attractive husband or wife with an outgoing personality may be fun to show off at workplace parties, but one who does the dishes or the shopping without complaining just might help you land a pay raise.