What astrology can tell companies about their employees

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Leo’s co-workers are obsessed with the zodiac signs, constantly discussing astrology, gossiping about other employees and their personalities, flaws, and weaknesses—the result, in their opinions, of the positions of the star of the day they were born.

When they asked for Leo’s birthday, the Reddit user whose account has since been deleted, didn’t buy.

“I told them a fake birthday without even knowing the sign associated with it. It turns out, that, based on this information, I am a Leo,” Leo—the name luck given the anonymous zodiac scammer-wrote on Reddit about a year ago. “They were practically falling over themselves telling me how great it was. ‘You have such a creative spirit!’ or ‘You are so generous!’ or (my favorite) ‘You’re so vital.'”

Leo does not believe in the validity of astrology. More precisely, they said in the Reddit post that this is one of the “craziest” and most “unscientific” things anyone can believe. Leo says they’re more likely to give credit to flat Earthers — which can be extreme — but they’re by no means alone in their astrological sign removal. At the same time, it is an increasingly prominent topic of conversation in offices across the country, as people embrace star signs as a way to explain why their computer is on the fritz (is Mercury in retrograde?) their boss (Gemini and Scorpios polar opposite).

Astrology is “not a very scientific way of answering questions,” according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. It does not meet the criteria for scientific testing, despite incorporating some scientific knowledge. But that didn’t stop some 70 million people from reading their horoscopes every day, according to the American Federation of Astrologers.

While the industry has exploded in recent years—revenue for US-based astrology apps grew nearly 65% ​​in 2019 to $40 million and hit $44 million in 2021 before falling back to earth last year. -the use of zodiac signs to explain characteristics, personalities. , and similar ones that delve deeper into the zeitgeist and everyday conversation. So perhaps it’s no surprise that it leaves its mark on the workplace.

The ripple effect of astrology-obsessed millennials Entering middle and upper management roles cannot be overlooked as a factor. According to a 2012 National Science Foundation studyroughly 58% of respondents ages 18-24 believe astrology is based on science—and those people now 29-35 have jobs (at least some of them, probably).

“I thought it would be kind of funny to do this and then reveal to them later that I wasn’t a Leo to see how they would react and cover themselves to justify their continued belief in influences. of the magic star,” Leo continued.

The lie, however, gets to their boss, who Leo says believes that being a Leo means there are specific projects and job opportunities that they will be perfect for. They started to become more challenging and good work because of their fake sign; how Leo’s boss views them and the impact they have on the company and co-workers has changed.

“After a presentation to clients, I was recently told that my Leo spirit really brought the team to such a difficult deadline,” Leo wrote. “Now I’m really worried that someone will find out my real birthday.”

Take it all with a grain of salt

There is some validity to using astrology and zodiac signs in a work situation, to determine where a person might excel and what might motivate them, as well as when it comes to construction. a team, celebrity astrologer Susan Miller said. luck.

“Yes in terms of compatibility, astrology can help with that. But you have to be careful,” Miller said. “We don’t do astrological profiling. You can’t cross out a whole section of the zodiac because you have someone’s bad experience.

Miller, a 14-time best-selling author who gained a cult following since launching him Astrology Zone website, where he has published horoscopes since 1995, said that learning a person’s sign can be useful in a job interview situation, but the problem is that too many people are interested in astrology. Miller often finds himself defending his industry against the daily, first-date star sign reader or the vast number of astrologers on social media — not to mention the Leos of the world.

“Whoever does the chart should be certified,” Miller said. There are many certifications one can make them an accredited astrologer. And yet, Miller acknowledges that astrologers don’t know everything. “If I read your chart I will not know everything about you. I will do some research and follow up, ask for more details.”


Star signs at work

“You want someone who is flexible? Then Virgos, Pisces, Geminis, and Sagittarius: They listen and adjust well.”

“A Capricorn wants to be prepared for leadership.”

“If you want someone who is really creative, you want a Pisces, but don’t let them in at 9 o’clock in the morning”

“If you’re hiring a Leo, they probably don’t want to take the lead.”

“A Taurus is interested in benefits. They are slow and very careful and detailed. If you need someone to look at every comma, every em dash, you won’t find a better sign.

“Scorpios are loyal and quiet. They do very good in-depth research. “

“A Libra loves the law.”

“Aries is the entrepreneur. They light a fire; they start a business.”

—Susan Miller


Miller says he hasn’t included zodiac signs in his hiring practice, but there are companies that have—he clearly sees the appeal. Cat Lincoln uses “office astrology” on her influencer marketing company CLEVER for years. It’s a way to understand each other better, knock down walls, and let people be themselves at work, the 53-year-old Gemini said. luck.

CLEVER doesn’t do actual astrology, Lincoln said, although the 22-person staff knows each other’s signs. Astrology is only one part of his management style, which also involves application Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and other personality tests to develop a transparent and safe space to better communicate and understand how they work together.

“We don’t make business decisions based on astrology,” Lincoln said. “But it is humane. It’s fun, and it kind of lowers people’s defenses to call it office astrology. It is definitely a business decision to treat people like people.

Corporate America has long relied on personality tests—one might argue another pseudo-science—to help manage people. Tests such as Myers-Briggs, Gallup’s CliftonStrengths Assessment, Color Code, and the DiSC model all the differences in a meal at work which seeks to focus on employees’ talents, leadership styles, and communication strengths and weaknesses among other things.

Offices are also no strangers to “hiring personality”.. Think of the hired personalities as the “glue guys,” the funny, or just plain fun co-workers who lighten things up with all the charm and charisma that is often lacking in corporate settings. They can be valuable in a workplace, as long as they don’t drag the work down of course.

One could argue that there is a place for astrology to be placed among the rest of the corporate personality testers intended to motivate employees and company culture development. But it’s a piece of the puzzle—a starting point—as much as anything else.

“The best way to use astrology is to encourage one’s talents,” Miller said.

No manager wants to end up with a Zodiac scammer like Leo, who puts themselves in an uncomfortable position just to fit in.

“I was really caught in a lie based on stupidity to begin with and I’m really confused about what to do,” Leo wrote. “I probably shouldn’t tell anyone at work this information… Imagine my boss firing me for pretending to be a Leo? That’s a Pisces thing to do”

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