Humble pen able to tell a lot about you

Looking to hire staff? Purple pen users make the best workers.

But hang on tight to your favorite biro when approached by a male colleague clutching a green one.

Such insights come from a survey commissioned by Pilot Pen Corporation of America, which found that 85 per cent of United States workers with six or more pens at their work station said their job was satisfying, compared to just 74 per cent of Americans overall.

And the more pens the better. While 21 per cent of the workforce overall is out looking for a better job, only 12 per cent of those with more than a dozen pens arrayed on their desk are out job-seeking.

"We don't quite know what all this means," says Ron Shaw, president and chief executive of Connecticut-based Pilot. "Frankly, we're quite flummoxed. But overall, we think it's all good."

And he says pen sales just keep on rising, despite the survey finding that one in seven American workers say they hardly ever write any more, thanks to computers.

And puppetry of the pens can offer useful clues to sharp-eyed bosses.

Look at these numbers: 82 per cent of workers using purple pens say they try to help their bosses even when not asked, compared to just 67 per cent of workers overall.

And which co-worker has been guilty of stealing your favourite pens? Men who use pricey pens, one out of five of whom admits to having deliberately stolen a co-worker's pen in the past because he liked it.

But beware, too, of the man holding a green pen, 14 per cent of whom have walked off with a colleague's pen because they coveted it.

The study is the result of a random telephone survey of 645 American workers by Opinion Research Corporation International of Princeton, New Jersey.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 per cent, and among its other insights are these:

Most likely to be looking for a new job: Women who use purple pens (35 per cent) and women who use flash pens (32 per cent); men who use red pens (27 per cent); men who hardly ever write (29 per cent).

Most likely to think the boss is nice: Women using red pens (85 per cent), men using red pens (84 per cent) and pencil-wielding men (83 per cent).

Most likely to have been promoted or had a pay rise recently: Men who use red pens (60 per cent); men who hardly ever write any more (59 per cent); women who use red pens (58 per cent); women who use purple pens (56 per cent).

Most likely to accidentally take pens home: Men who use purple pens (77 per cent) and men who use red pens (62 per cent).

Most likely to work extra hours for zero pay: Men who hardly ever write any more or men who use purple pens (66 per cent); women who use red pens (64 per cent).