how to go from model student to model employee. You want your managers
and your co-workers to like you, and you want to succeed. Here are some of
the most valued traits in a colleague or employee.
Dependable
This one seems pretty evident, but one of the key traits that make you a good co-
worker is dependability. Meeting deadlines, doing what you say you’re going to, and
taking responsibility for correcting your own mistakes will earn you a reputation for
being someone that can be counted on.
Empathetic
Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes can be critical to having a good
working environment. Everyone has a bad day once in a while, and being
compassionate and understanding when someone else isn’t at 100% is better than
griping about the fact that they’re slacking off. Unless of course, it becomes habitual
Trustworthy
Being able to keep certain knowledge to yourself and not becoming part of the gossip
mill will be noticed. If your coworkers find that you can be trusted not to take their
venting session straight to management, they’ll be more likely to trust you with
concerns that they have that may affect you as well.
Self-starter
No one likes to have to harp on someone to get a job done. If you’re working in a
team, don’t be the one that drags their feet and slows down everyone else’s
productivity. Find a system to help yourself track your tasks and priorities, and make
sure no-one ever has to ask you twice for something.
Dedicated
Being loyal and dedicated to your employer is noticed. Stay late when needed,
volunteer to help get a new project up and running smoothly, and stick it out through
tough times. You don’t want to neglect your personal life, so it’s important to find
balance, but you want to make sure that everyone knows that your work is a priority
in your life.
Organised
Keeping your calendar up to date and your desk organised will help to show that
you’ve got yourself together. If you’re constantly losing track of important documents
or missing meeting because of a lack of organisation, it reflects poorly on your work
ethic and dedication.
Respectful
Quite simply, treat everyone with the same amount of respect that you would show to
anyone else. Whether it is the CEO, or the IT guy, or even customers and outside
vendors, you need to be respectful of all the people you encounter throughout your
day.
Flexible
One of the greatest traits of a good employee is adaptability. Modern work
environments change quickly and drastically. If you want to stick it out for the long
haul, you need to be prepared to meet those changes with a positive attitude.
Team-Player
While you want to make sure that you’re advancing your own career, you need to
recognise your place in an organisation, and work for the good of the whole. Offer to
help coworkers when they are overwhelmed. Share any useful tools or tricks with
others that could benefit, rather than hoarding that information to try and be
indispensable.
Modest
Nobody likes a braggart. Let your work speak for itself, and don’t go on telling people
about how much you do or how many sales you got last month. Everyone on your
team already knows how much you contribute, and if you exaggerate your value or
importance, you might upset the balance, and give people a reason to try and take
you down a peg or two.
Work on developing these character traits if you want to not only succeed personally
at your job, but also to develop strong working relationships with your colleagues. It’s
important to be on good terms with those around you, especially if you’re working on
building your network.
The good news is we’re all likely to encounter one or two such paragons somewhere
along the line.
In reality, most people are nearing perfection when they make the effort to exercise
several or more of the following traits.
5. Take on extra
While others disappear or leave as the clock strikes, they stay back to help. These
enlightened types know the glow of giving and you will frequently see them going the
extra mile to make sure projects and products are safely delivered. Reward them by
ensuring that the workload is shared, and properly.
6. Communicate clearly
This makes them a pleasure to deal with. The person who speaks plainly and with
clarity is invariably appreciated, compared to someone long-winded. When they also
deploy tact and consideration, they are someone you always respect and want to
work with every day.
7. Open to change
Even with bad news or a sudden change of direction, they get on with it without
complaining. Alright, they might grumble a little, but grumbling, if it’s not excessive or
habitual, is quite reasonable.
Humans can find big change overwhelming; incremental changes are easier to deal
with. The ideal co-worker instinctively knows this, and in managing their own
reactions, helps set the pace for others.
Enthusiasm is desirable in the work environment. It’s contagious when people tackle
things with gusto and enjoyment.
One of the worst traits someone can have in the work place, be it an
employee that reports directly to you or a coworker whom you have to work directly
with is a bad attitude.
-huffing or a great exhale of wind when they are put out of their way, even for small
tasks
-someone who is passive aggressive, who finds a mistake you did and when you ask
what you could do better say, ‘Ill just fix it’.
-gossiping
-saving work websites on their work computer (bookmarks) as ‘dumb shit’ ‘stupid
shit’ ‘I hate this place’ etc
-making snarky back handed comments if they don’t like what someone else is doing
instead of collaborating with the person and trying to come to a mutually agreeable
solution
Just to name a few examples of someone who has a bad attitude at work. This is
someone’s negativity that seeps into the core of the morale of the company. Someone
who people will go around, even if they are the expert in their topic, just to avoid
having to talk to them and deal with their wrath.
Example: telling a sales person that they need to put a request for samples at the
beginning of the work order three times
And then on the third time when you explain to them again how requests need to be
made, they EXPECT you to stop everything and add it for them because once again
they forgot. They want YOU to move heaven and earth for THEM because they didn’t
hold up their end of the bargain. Someone who when you ask, ‘what was discussed in
the meeting?” they didn’t take any notes or say ‘I don’t remember’. These are the
WORST traits of an employee and/or coworker that WILL eventually lead to firing.