NEWS
5 Hardwired Characteristics of a Highly Productive Employee
Productivity is under attack. Labor productivity decreased by 4.1% during the second quarter of 2022. Despite Americans working longer hours, their output still decreased.
If you want to increase productivity in your workplace, you should find your company’s most productive employees and promote them. However, a productive employee can be hard to spot. They can have several characteristics, some of which are subtler than others.
How do productive employees behave in the workplace? Why do they work so hard? How do employees interact with others, both in and out of work?
Answer these questions and you can create a productive and positive workplace culture in no time. Here are five common characteristics of a productive employee.
1. Goal Setting
Setting goals gives someone a purpose that lets them overcome obstacles. When someone encounters difficulty, they remind themselves of their goal, and they take the difficulty in stride.
Their goal may be long-term, like starting their own company or becoming a CEO. But along the way, they set smaller goals for themselves that help them accomplish their objective, such as taking classes or receiving a promotion.
2. Self-Confidence
A productive employee believes in their own abilities. They assume that their success is within their control and that they have the work experience they need to fulfill a task.
However, productive employees are not arrogant. They know they have weaknesses and they spend time overcoming those weaknesses. If they are not informed about something, they read articles about that subject.
3. Compassion
Productive employees care about other people. They feel gratified when they receive compliments, and they are willing to make compliments to other people. They find success when their management team finds success, even if they do not receive praise for themselves.
Productive people spend time helping their community. This lets them develop skills like time management outside the workplace and give back to the people who have supported them. Feel free to offer employee incentives to encourage your workers to spend time on community service.
4. Focus
Many people assume that productive people multitask. In reality, the most productive employees focus on the task directly in front of them and finish it. When they’re done with that task, they move on to the next one.
Productive employees may get distracted while they are working on something. They regain their attention by taking deep breaths and using grounding techniques.
5. Inquisitiveness
When a productive worker is confused about something, they ask questions. They also ask for feedback so they can do better work.
The most productive employees spend much of their time reading and learning about new topics. They write down notes on what they read and then use their notes to influence their work.
The Most Common Characteristics of a Productive Employee
A productive employee should be easy to spot from a distance. They set goals for themselves and pick tasks that help them reach those goals. They are self-confident, yet they are compassionate, and they spend time helping others.
Productive employees set their minds on a task and do not let distractions or other tasks pull them away. They ask questions when they need help, and they are always on the lookout for new information and ways of doing things.
Spotting productive employees is one way to raise productivity. Read more workplace productivity guides by following our coverage.
Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].
