How do you differentiate between an ambitious employee and a not so ambitious one? Simple – if they arrive in carry two mobile phones, an iPod, a decaff cappuccino coffee and a gym bag, be assured that they have plans to go far up the company ladder.
Archetypal office employees have come a long way since the 1980s, and are no longer "Yuppies" but "Gossips" – in other words - "gadget obsessed, status symbol infatuated professionals", a new survey has shown.
The survey, of 1,500 employees, was conducted by recruitment company Office Angels to mark its 20th anniversary.
When it comes to the latest essential status symbols and gadgets, micro-gadgets such as memory sticks and Blackberries topped the list of the majority of those surveyed.
Office Angels also found that a growing number of workers keep two mobiles, one for work and one for private calls, and while power dressing was no longer thought to be as essential as it was before, food such as sushi and sashimi topped the menu of "power" lunches in place of sandwiches or fast-food burgers and chips.
They also found that even with hot drinks available for free in the office, almost a third of those surveyed spent more than 10 pounds a week on coffee, for it added to their ‘image’.
{{/usCountry}}They also found that even with hot drinks available for free in the office, almost a third of those surveyed spent more than 10 pounds a week on coffee, for it added to their ‘image’.
{{/usCountry}}Paul Jacobs, the managing director of Office Angels, said that though power dressing was still important for first impressions, substance mattered more in today than 20 years ago.
"First impressions and image are of course important, but thankfully, one of the biggest changes in the past 20 years is that substance is finally recognised as more important than style," the Scotsman quoted him, as saying.
"If a latte makes you feel on-form then great, because if you feel confident you're more likely to make an impression with what really matters - what you have to say," he added.