Why It Pays to be a Jerk

Forget working hard, staying late, and clocking in early. If you want to earn more, you should just start being a jerk around the office. At least, that's what the findings of a recent Notre Dame study found: "Disagreeable men," on average, earn at least 18 percent more than their more agreeable counterparts.

It gets worse, too. The old expression "nice guys finish last," at least when speaking about salaries, could be tweaked to suggest they get the silver medal instead. The study further confirmed what's already sad sexist common knowledge: Women, regardless of their disposition, earn less than non-jerks. Strangely, jerky ladies earn 5 percent more than nice fellas.

While this seems rather unfair, it's still illegal to compensate women differently from men. It's not nice to be a jerk, but for the time being it's nice and legal in the workplace -- though of course frowned upon.

Read the full report here, but don't be a jerk about it.

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