As the UK enters recession, realists are in demand, according to a new report.

The T-Mobile Workplace Motivation Report, complied by business psychologist Honey Langcaster-James, identifies the characters that comprise today's workplace and how they relate to, and motivate, each other in a downturn.
 
The eight new workplace roles include the Mother Hen - a warm, nurturing and approachable personality and the dude - an unfazed, calming and relaxed character. Other roles are the Link - the colleague who thinks it's all about who you know, not what you know; the optimistic cheerleader; the conscientious and controlling geek; and the innovator - the workplace ideas person. The joker was seen as the most contentious, while the realist was the most popular.

Honey Langcaster-James said: "The trick is to identify which profile most closely fits your own personality and to see if it is affecting the way you work and how you interact with colleagues. The research shows us that it's the realist, the person who is very black and white, straight down the line and comes armed with a sarcastic and dry sense of humour, who is really coming to the fore in this tough economic climate. We don't feel motivated by colleagues who spend their time joking around and making flippant comments - or at least that's the case at the moment. "