Cat People vs. Dog People & HR Service Delivery for Both…

One of the main differentiators of personality types seems to be an allegiance to one pet species over another.  People are often asked, “Are you a dog person or a cat person?” at the office or social events. In fact, there is evidence that one’s choice in this area does provide a basis for insight into their personality and life style – and usually their choice is emphatically stated…

In 'Cat People vs. Dog People: Can’t We All Get Along?,' humorist Steven Shehori writes, "As humans, we’re predisposed to have hard opinions on things. Often this serves to our benefit (e.g. racism is bad, pizza is good). But on occasion, it can get us into trouble; especially when we apply these rigid perspectives to areas that don’t warrant them. Case in point: cats and dogs.

"Much of the time, cat people love cats at the expense of dogs. Dog people take the counter position. Ask one group what it thinks of the other group’s animal preference and you can bet your PetSmart membership the words won’t be pleasant."

"Does being a “cat person” or a “dog person” (or neither or both) reveal your true personality? There’s a body of research that says it does, and suggests that we’re probably giving the question short shrift when we’re scouting out prospective dates or deciding whom to marry; hiring an employee or a nanny; choosing a therapist, dentist or lawyer; or meeting someone new," says Peg Streep in her Psychology Today column '3 Things Being A Cat Person or Dog Person Reveals About You.'

The three fundamental differences she notes are that dog people are more extraverted, cat people score higher in intelligence and are more intellectually curious, and the pet with which you identify may reflect your view of the world. "One survey by Time, showed that liberals tended to prefer cats, while conservatives were more likely to be dog people."

Human resources professionals handle a wide variety of personalities and challenges on a daily basis as they serve their employee customers.  That’s one of the unique HR challenges – delivering service with a strong sense of empathy; keen enough to engage the employee, regardless of the employee’s preferences for cats or dogs!