In today’s fast-paced world, the success of companies is closely linked to the efficiency of employees. Productivity is becoming more and more of a priority when choosing candidates. Hiring productive employees is essential to achieving goals, increasing the company’s competitiveness in the labor market, and improving the overall team result.
One of the key factors affecting employee productivity is the personality of the person. This article will look at how personality traits affect employee productivity and give tips on hiring the most productive employees among a large pool of candidates.
Impact of employee personality on performance
Personality traits are stable habits that affect the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. They can affect how people work, communicate, interact with colleagues, and deal with change and stress at work. Each trait can impact performance differently, depending on the position. For example, conscientiousness and extroversion are especially important for project managers.
These traits help me interact effectively with the team, manage freelancers, and organize work better. On the other hand, programmers should have such traits as deep concentration and openness.
Five core personality traits
Personality traits play an important role in job performance. The Big Five theory is one of the most well-known approaches to the study of personality. It includes the following five major factors described below.
Openness
People with this trait are always ready for new tasks, ideas, and changes in the company and are easily adaptable and teachable. They are curious and always willing to explore new ideas. Openness contributes to easier problem-solving and innovation in the workplace, thereby increasing employee productivity and company development.
Conscientiousness
Employees with a high level of conscientiousness are reliable, responsible, organized, and attentive to detail. They perform work tasks with high quality and meet deadlines. Conscientiousness has a positive impact on employee productivity and contributes to their career development and the overall success of the company.
Extraversion
Extroverts are often very active, sociable and able to interact effectively with coworkers, and are skilled at networking. Employees with this trait are more likely to be leaders. They easily motivate the people around them, which contributes to teamwork productivity.
Agreeableness
People with this character trait are attentive, empathic, and cooperative. Such employees know how to work in a team, avoid conflict situations and easily find compromises, which contributes to a positive working atmosphere.
Neuroticism
Employees with a high level of neuroticism are inclined to anxiety, stress, and emotional instability. 41% of stressed employees say it reduces their productivity levels. A low level of neuroticism, in turn, contributes to greater stress resistance among employees, which is important for productivity in conditions of high workload.
Tips for hiring productive employees
Understanding and leveraging employee personalities to improve performance starts at the hiring stage. People acquire specific personality traits at birth, unlike skills, which can be taught.
If candidates’ personalities don’t fit your company culture, job role, and overall team environment, they will most likely not fit into the team, and there will be high employee turnover.
It is important to analyze the candidate’s personality traits and behavior to avoid hiring mistakes. It is essential to prioritize both professional and soft skills. The lifehacks below will help you pick the right employee.
- Psychometric tests. Use these tests to understand candidates’ personalities, behaviors, and thinking styles better. They can also help you identify traits closely related to performance, such as determination, initiative, or self-control.
- Company culture fit. During interviews, you should assess how candidates approach the company’s values and principles. People who share your values will be more motivated and engaged in their work. Studies have shown that profits increase by 21% due to higher productivity of engaged employees.
- Assessment of soft skills. Personal qualities of candidates, such as communication skills, teamwork, empathy, and stress resistance, are also important. People with well-developed soft skills can better adapt to change and resolve workplace conflicts, increasing their productivity.
- Behavioral questions. During the interview, you should ask questions that will help you learn about the candidates’ past experience in critical situations. They will help you assess how candidates act in real-life situations, which will help you predict their future performance.
- Task performance. At the interview, it is a good idea to ask candidates to complete tasks similar to what they will be doing in their new job. This will help you assess how potential employees handle real-life challenges and how quickly and well they complete tasks.
Use these tips at the candidate selection stage, and you’ll be able to hire qualified and productive employees. This can have a positive impact on the company’s future development.
Conclusion
Personality traits play an important role in employee productivity. When hiring, it is essential to pay attention to the professional skills of candidates and their personal traits. Use psychometric tests, behavioral questions, soft skills assessments, and other methods to help you better understand how a person’s personality will affect their work and communication with the team.
It is important to create a positive working atmosphere in the company. In such an environment, it is easier for employees to realize their potential.