Impact of remote working on workplace behaviours, trends, organisational culture, and personality. Have the impacts of covid-19 changed who we are? We’ll share our research global research exploring the impacts of remote working on workplace behaviours, the shifts in personality and emotional wellbeing, how the changes are reshaping organisations and ultimately what employers can do to create an effective organisational culture moving forward.

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Did COVID-19 Change Who We Are?
… and an introduction to Lumina Spark
Dr Stewart Desson - stewartdesson@luminalearning.com linkedin.com/in/stewartdesson
26 May 2021

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Your Speaker Today
Stewart Desson
CEO Lumina Learning

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Agenda
• Who is back to the office and into workshops already?
• Has there been a structural shift in attitudes to face-to-face?
• Did COVID-19 change who we are?

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The Lumina Learning Story
• We are the inventors of digital personality tools using smart data and
simple language
• We challenge the outdated status quo of traditional personality-
assessments with more accurate, valid and engaging tools that show
people as they truly are
• We deliver the latest expertise to excite continuous curiosity in exploring
behaviour and personality across selection and development
• We spent our first ten years transforming how personality is
understood. Now we are transforming how personality is delivered to
be more interactive and engaging than ever before

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Our Vision
To transform organisations
by celebrating people,
one human at a time

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Focus on Personality
Personal Style
Focus on Sales
Sales Style
Focus on Emotions
Emotional Style
Focus on Leadership
Leadership Style
24 Spark Qualities
24 Sales Qualities
16 Leader Competencies
16 Emotion Qualities
Focus on Team
Team Behaviours
Focus on Selection
Competency Potential
3 Personas
16 Select Competencies

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Lumina Learning is a Global Organisation and has validated
translations to support our Global Clients
EMEA - Europe Middle East & Africa Asia & Australasia
The Americas

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What makes Lumina Learning different?

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Research
Researchers:
• Robert Boyle, Dr Stewart Desson, Dr Joana Suta & Dr Tatiana Schifferle Rowson
Employee Research
• SMEs and Large Corporations make available to staff in Government, Technology, Banking, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Education
• 5 continents, translated into 10 languages - global reach across the Americas, EMEA & ASIA Pacific
• Focus on Leaders, Managers & White-Collar workers
• 4,414 participants responded June-September 2020
Organisational Research
• Source: Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) survey, March 18, 2021
• GBTA members and non-members worldwide - corporate travel managers and travel suppliers
• 680 companies responded on 18 March 2021
COVID infection modelling
• Independent mathematical model of the impact of policy, behaviours and vaccination strategies on infection rates
• Written in python by Robert Boyle

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After the COVID-19 crisis is over,
would you prefer to work remotely?
After the COVID-19 crisis is over,
would you prefer to work remotely?
I do not want to work remotely at all
I want to work remotely some of the time
I want to work remotely most of the time
I want to work remotely all the time

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Dropbox has not gone with the hybrid model
Instead choosing a virtual-first policy - prioritising remote work over the office
Splitting work between the office and home “has some pretty significant
drawbacks … could lead to issues with inclusion, or disparities with
respect to performance or career trajectory”
Melanie Collins, Chief People Officer, Dropbox

13. How can we safely transition
back to face-to-face?

15. International travel is still very depressed

16. Europe is the worst affected region
Seat capacity for April 2021 versus April 2019

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When will the US border reopen for Europeans?

18. No logic for the USA remaining closed to the UK
Cases per million people (7-day rolling average)

19. USA, Spain, Germany and Italy should “go green” soon
Cases per million people (7-day average)

20. Decline in cases underpinned by vaccinations
Share of population who have received at least one dose

21. Will the India variant spoil the UK recovery story?
Infection rate by age group in Bolton
Vaccinated
Unvaccinated

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A structural shift in attitudes to face-to-face – company view
How do you think business travel will resume at your company as the world recovers from COVID-19?
Source: GBTA survey, March 18, 2021

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A structural shift in attitudes to face to face – staff view

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Measurements
N = 4,414 participants
• Experience of COVID-19
o Emotionally
o Physically
o Risk taking
o Critical Life events
• Impact on working life
o Remote working
o Connection at work
o Technology
o Socio-demographic variables e.g. Income
• Psychological measures of:
o Adaptive Big Five Personality traits (Desson, Benton & Golding, 2014)
o Maladaptive Big Five Personality traits (Desson, 2017)
o Positivity Scale (Caprara, Alessandri, Eisenberg, Kupfer, Steca, Caprara, Yamaguchi, Fukuzawa & Abela, 2012)
o Emotional Intelligence (Desson, Ensor & Cannon, 2018)
o Adaptability and Resilience at work (Zacher & Frese, 2011)
• General state of health
o Risk to Mental Health (Goldberg & Williams, 1988)

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Limitations of this research
Possible bias
• Convenient sample
• Based on organisations willing to support research
• Based on organisations interested in their own data
• Based on individuals willing to support research
• Based on individuals incentivised to receive a free report on their personality
• Data gathering ongoing – in some countries the sample size is too small for comparisons
• Today’s presentation is just an initial analysis of the data

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Employment and Education

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Global Breakdown of Data, N = 4,414 participants

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Understanding the Individual
with Lumina Spark

34. Structured
Purposeful
Logical
Competitive
Tough
Takes Charge
Demonstrative
Radical
Sociable
Imaginative
Conceptual
Spontaneous
Flexible
Adaptable
Collaborative
Empathetic
Accommodating
Intimate
Reliable
Practical
Evidence-Based
Cautious
Observing
Measured

35. Structured
Purposeful
Logical
Competitive
Tough
Takes Charge
Demonstrative
Radical
Sociable
Imaginative
Conceptual
Spontaneous
Flexible
Adaptable
Collaborative
Empathetic
Accommodating
Intimate
Reliable
Practical
Evidence-Based
Cautious
Observing
Measured

36. Structured
Purposeful
Logical
Competitive
Tough
Takes Charge
Demonstrative
Radical
Sociable
Imaginative
Conceptual
Spontaneous
Flexible
Adaptable
Collaborative
Empathetic
Accommodating
Intimate
Reliable
Practical
Evidence-Based
Cautious
Observing
Measured

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Did COVID-19 change who we are?
The last eight months has changed:
• the context in which we live and work
• our thoughts
• our feelings/emotions
• our everyday behaviour
• our response to stress

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Percentage of people who experienced a mental health issue
Australia 17%
India 16%
Hong Kong 16%
Canada 15%
South Africa 14%
United Kingdom 11%
United States 10%
Mexico 10%
Taiwan 9%
Poland 9%
China 6%
Albania 5%
Average across all geographies 11%

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Those working during lockdown experienced:
- Decreased productivity – “on average” just 5% down
- Increased autonomy
- around 45% of people have more autonomy
- only 13% feel they have less autonomy

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After the COVID-19 crisis is over,
would you prefer to work remotely?
During the last 12 months have you
been feeling ANXIOUS, compared to
the pre-COVID-19 era?
Much more anxious
Slightly more anxious
The Same
Slightly less anxious
Much less anxious

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5 point Scale
Much Less -2
Less -1
The same 0
Slightly More +1
Much More +2
Average Score on 5 point scale from -2 to +2

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How does this relate to personality?
Significant finding most commonly related to Risk Reactor – Reward Reactor
(Neuroticism-Emotional Stability in academia)
• In general, participants who reported higher levels of Risk reactor e.g. Vigilant,
Modest, Responsive and Impassioned tended to report higher levels of negative
emotions.
• These included feeling lonely, excluded and anxious.
• Whereas participants reporting higher levels of Reward Reactor (Emotional
Stability) were more likely to feel more productive and autonomous.

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Before COVID-19 crisis During COVID-19 crisis

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We have many Faces
Three Personas
Underlying Everyday Overextended

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Nikita pre-COVID-19 crisis

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Nikita during COVID-19 crisis

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Which
behaviours have
helped you out
over the last 8
months?

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Which
behaviours have
increased over
the last 8
months?

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63. The Emotional Reactors Mandala
Biological Roots: central dopaminergic (DA) system
Brain Plasticity
Towards Reward
Biological roots:
Serotonergic system
Brain Stability
Away from threat
STIMULUS

64. Mental Health and Work Attitudes among People Resuming Work
during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in China.
Song, L., Wang, Y., Li, Z., Yang, Y., & Li, H. (2020)
• Assessed the mental health of those returning to work after having had COVID-19
• The major emotional risk reactor was worrying about unemployment
• The main protective factors were resilience and optimism

65. Relationship between Personality and Mental Health Risk Factors
• Significant, positive relationships were found between facets of introversion
and agreeableness with an increase in feelings of being unable to overcome
difficulties.
• Participants scoring higher on Risk Reactors tended to report more highly on
multiple risk factors, including being unable to concentrate, losing sleep, and
feeling incapable of making decisions.

66. Digital delivery at it’s best.
Experience Lumina Spark for
free. https://lumina.xyz/VkcFneUPxVhi6U2vF
* Limit of 2 people per organisation

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Your Speakers Today
You will receive our paper on today’s talk in the follow up email
Stewart Desson
CEO Lumina Learning