What type of employee are you?

• Sonya Buck
• July 29, 2019
• Newsletter Article

Poor performance at work can impact your career progression. Is it time for you to evaluate what type of employee you are?

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What type of employee are you?

 

Every now and then it’s good to take a step back and look at ‘how you’re travelling’ and work is no exception.

 

So many factors can impact how you perform at work including issues with work/life balance; financial and other personal worries; your boss or the people you work with, or maybe you just feel disengaged.

 

Why does it matter what type of employee you are? For one thing, poor performance at work can impact your career progression and may lead to unhappiness in the workplace and lower remuneration.

 

What do employers want?

 

• The Motivated Employee
  This employee has the drive and is eager to take on new tasks and projects. They will usually have a positive attitude at work.


• The Reliable Employee
  The person will have a great attendance record and completes work on time. There are no sick days taken after a long weekend here.


• The Problem-Solving Employee
  The Problem Solver is someone who creates solutions to problems and identifies where efficiencies can be made lessening stress on the boss.


• The Leader Employee
  An employee who motivates others and can delegate based on people’s strengths. Not everyone can be a leader, but it’s great to have them in every workplace.

 

Rather than thinking the above traits might be held by staff ‘sucking up’ to the boss, think about how adopting these practices could help your career path.

 

What DON’T employers want?

 

• The MIA (Missing in Action) Employee
  This colleague constantly arrives late, often can’t be found during the day and will find ways to get out of completing work. The MIA employee can be very demotivating for the rest of the staff.


• The Negative Nancy Employee
  You’ll find this staff member always complaining and finding the worst in every situation. They will criticise but will not put forward any solutions to problems or issues. Being negative may have become a habit for them.


• The ‘Less than Honest’ Employee
  Whether it’s overinflating expense reimbursement or embellishments on your time sheet, all of these things multiplied by the number of employees who do the same can affect an employer’s bottom line.


• The Lazy or Demotivated Employee
  This employee may spend a good part of the day on Facebook, on personal calls or be working at a snail’s pace and just doing enough to get by. This type of employee can also have the traits of a MIA.

 

When at work, imagine the business is owned by you and think about how you would need your employees to be.

If you recognise any of these bad habits slipping into the way you work, consider the reasons why. If appropriate, talk to your boss to see if any changes can be made, such as changing your work hours if there is no way you can get to work on time. Alternatively, try and change your attitude and adopt some of the positive work traits.

If you feel your workplace is not a great fit for you, consider moving on and finding a job that motivates and inspires you. Find a new role on www.AgCareers.com.