Are you making the grade? Determine your employee type

The workplace is filled with different people with different personalities and attitudes about their colleagues, job responsibilities, and the company. Identifying which employee type you are will give you a better outlook of how you can be a more effective, productive employee within the workplace, especially if a change in your attitude and behavior is needed before it’s too late, resulting in a negative performance review, conflict amongst co-workers, or termination.

Type ‘A ‘Employee
• Good attendance record, arrives to work on time
• Meets all deadlines
• Goes with the work flow (team player)
• Shows respect and works well with other employees
• Positive attitude, go the extra mile
• Owns up to and learns from mistakes

Congratulations! Type ‘A’ employees are a dime a dozen. Even though you make mistakes, the important factor is you learn from them and you move on. When you are having a bad day, no one else knows it. Enhance your professional development by mentoring an employee. Keep up the good work!

Type’ B’ Employee
• Misses deadlines occasionally
• Maintains a good working relationship with colleagues
• Favorable performance reviews
• Submits quality work assignments
• Predominantly has a positive attitude

The workplace is filled with type ‘B’ employees. Type ‘B’ employees get the job done, are reliable, and dedicated to doing a good job. Their work is submitted in a timely manner. Most type ‘B’ employees emphasize getting done what is required or requested of them. Enhance your professional development by going the extra mile – take on a new project, ask a co-worker if they need help on a project, or attend a professional development training, seminar, or course.

Type ‘C’ Employee
• Misses deadlines frequently
• Lack of respect for 1 or more colleagues (and it shows)
• Frequent episodes of miscommunication with other employees
• Calls off due to the necessity of “mental health days”
• “Going through the motions” – little effort put forth for work tasks
• Frequent errors evident on final projects and work assignments

The Type C employee is someone who is beginning to lose passion for their job. Perhaps poor management is a factor (read my previous blog about Workplace PMS – Poor Management System) or maybe the environment is becoming unbearable, whatever the case is, it is not too late to fix the issue. Resolve conflicts, create to-do lists and stick to them, and find the passion you once had for your job.

Type ‘D’ Employee
• Feelings of “just working to get a paycheck”
• Despises job and people who work there (and it shows)
• No effort put forth for work tasks
• Negative attitude about workplace and the company
• Doesn’t own up to or learn from mistakes
• “Clock watcher”

A type ‘D’ employee is the person who hates to come to work and it shows in their job performance and attitude. If you are this type of employee, an attitude change is needed. Just as you are acknowledging that you are a ‘D’ employee, your superior and others know that you are a D employee as well and you may not be happy with the outcome.

Regardless of your employee type, there is always room for improvement. Use your talents to your advantage and let others benefit.