Qualities of a Good Employee

The Traits of a good employee- What makes a good employee?Here are the top employee qualities:

1. Communicator: Employers love to hire employees who have the ability to communicate well and express themselves in a clear manner, whether in writing or speaking. Inaccurate/inappropriate communication between employees can cause many problems to the company.

2. Self-Motivated: A good employee never hesitates of taking responsibility or a more responsible position. She also ready to work beyond the call of duty in order to meet goals or to solve problems, even if the job in discussion is not one of the regular works she is usually assigned.

3. Hard worker: There is no substitute to hard work. Although everyone seems to say that they work hard not many keep on working after being at the job for a while. So, one has to keep reminding oneself about the importance and significance of working hard as an employee.

4. Adaptable/decisive and effective learner: Employees who know how to adjust themselves to new environment, willing to learn new things (quick learners) and perform their best in changes are likely to be the best performers in any organization.


5. Team Player: Many companies consist of teams. Any company requires an effective team effort. An employer who can contribute is an ideal worker. Someone who is like a fish in the water (of the organization), who can perform well in a team will become a factor sooner or later.

6. Helping others: everyone appreciates a helping hand every now and then. Do not hesitate in helping out others. This make the person establish friendly relations with the coworkers and keeps the office running smoothly which in turn is appreciated by the employers.


7. Honesty: A good employee is honest about his/her work and qualifications. Self criticism and willing to receive feedback (bad as good) is essential to become a good learner.

8. Ethical: Work rules are made to be followed. There is decorum of every place that ought to be kept. A good employee follows the policies of the company and inspires others to do so too.

9. Give credit where it is due: One of the most prevalent practices doing the rounds in offices today is stealing the credit of a job well done. A good employee will not only truthfully let the right co-worker have her credit but also share her own accolades with his team.

10. Polite: Being friendly and approachable will never harm. a good employee greets her co workers a ‘good morning’, says little courteous things like ‘thank you’ and ‘you are welcome’. These things may appear insignificant but go a long way in establishing the person as favorite employee.

11. Disciplined and punctual: Every boss loves a punctual, disciplined and conscientious employee. Time is money. Coming late to office, taking unnecessary breaks, procrastinating and leaving earlier than the usual hours cost money to the company. No employer will ever appreciate this.

12. Avoid gossip: The person should always remember that she came to the office to work, to make a career. Do not spread office gossip or rumors. Respect the privacy of the co workers. Safeguard and protect the confidential nature of office business
and transactions.

5 Tips To Become More Valuable At Work

1. Show up 5 minutes early

If your boss shows up at 9 am like clockwork, then getting to work at 8:59, yourself, is a very worthwhile 1-minute investment. Even if you have to arrive 5 minutes early, it is well worth it to be there before your boss if at all possible. Think about it this way: If your boss has to cut one employee and all other factors are equal, do you think he will cut the person who he sees come in a few minutes late or the one that is always there already working by the time he gets to the office and he isn’t sure how early they actually get there?

The amount of time you put into work isn’t directly related to your output, but most bosses don’t have any really good measurements of your output, so time becomes the de facto standard to measure how much you are doing. It may not be fair, but it is a game you can win by investing a few extra minutes each day.

2. Don’t gossip

In most cases, gossip isn’t going to do anything helpful for you. Most gossip is just going to waste your time. There may be some benefit in keeping track of people’s moods and events that will impact their jobs. For example, if one of your coworkers is fed up and getting ready to quit, it might not be bad to know that ahead of time. But you definitely don’t want to be the person sharing. If you share gossip about others, people won’t trust you with their own information.

3. Be the peacemaker

The ability to help people work through different views is very valuable. Work isn’t going to get done when people disagree, and efficiency is going to suffer when people are forced to do something against their will. If you can help bring about consensus and compromise, you help make everyone more efficient.

4. Share information freely

People often try to increase their own importance by not giving others information. This is a short-sighted strategy and will usually make people dislike you. If you want to be valuable, people need to enjoy working with you. Furthermore, if you only give people the bare minimum information that they ask for, they may feel like you are trying to make them fail.

One of the most annoying people I have ever worked with will spend 10 minutes explaining what he isn’t going to tell you (because he is too busy). If he would just tell you in the first place, it would have only taken five minutes. In his mind, he feels more important being “too busy” to talk to you.

You want to be known as an information hub–not an information dam.

5. Make other people look good

A lot of people operate with the idea that anything they do to make someone else look good must make them look bad. Giving kudos isn’t a zero sum game. Helping other people look good doesn’t necessarily hurt you. In fact, people who you’ve gone out of your way to help promote are more likely to give you credit for your work and help you when you need it. Working with a group of people who are actively trying to help you succeed is a much better condition than working with a bunch of people who think you are trying to take advantage of them.

You can make other people look good in a variety of different ways. Giving them credit is a great way to start. If your boss compliments you on a report you did and one of your co-workers helped, go ahead and tell your boss that your co-worker was a great help. Then tell your co-worker. “I told the boss that the report wouldn’t have been nearly as good without your input.”

Tips on Retaining Employees

•Your employees need more than monetary compensation to feel happy and satisfied at work. Workers who feel fulfilled are not only more productive, but they also stay with you longer. The cost of unwanted turnover can be 1.5 times the employee's annual salary and can harm both morale and production. By implementing the following tips, you can keep your employees satisfied and build lasting loyalty.

Start Smart

•You can reduce employee turnover if you begin by hiring the right person for the job. Choose someone with not only the correct skill set to fulfill the duties for the position, but also the right values and personality for your company culture.

Share Expectations

•Share your expectations of your employee's job duties and how their responsibilities support your company's mission and goals. Employees who understand the importance of their job work more effectively and feel more fulfilled.

Be Consistent

•After you establish your expectations, apply your policies consistently. Equality and fairness result in employee respect and better retention. Your pay system should be equitable as well and competitive for all employees.

Feedback

•Employees respond to regular and constructive feedback. Periodic evaluations give workers an opportunity to respond to any challenges and build on their successes. Workers who receive recognition for a job well done feel that their contributions are valued.

Growth Opportunities

•Offer your employees ways to grow beyond their current position. Develop the people in your organization as you grow your business by providing ongoing education and training, and by providing incentives, new opportunities or promotions. If you provide ongoing professional development, you demonstrate your organization's willingness to develop your people.

Empower

•As much as possible, empower your employees to make decisions that concern their job. Workers respond negatively when management makes a decision that impacts their job responsibilities without consulting them. By getting an employee's input, you send her the message that you trust her and her decision-making abilities. Work toward creating a more collaborative environment. Employees will feel like an integral part of the team if they are involved in the decision-making process.

Culture

•Create a we-are-in-this-together company culture. Motivate your staff members to support each other. Also, get to know your employees, their hobbies and outside interests. If your staff feels more like a family, then a staff member is less likely to seek other employment.