Scheduling
Time & Attendance
Forecasting
Employee App
Payroll Integrations
Communications
Staffing Management
By Staff Report
Sep. 7, 2011
Dear Making It Personal:
During the last half of the 20th century, there was a great deal of skepticism in the field of psychology regarding whether job performance had anything to do with an applicant’s personality. Common sense suggests that an individual’s personality should have an impact on work performance, but until the 1990s studies provided conflicting results.
Fortunately, due to an advance in the field of personality called the Big Five (or Five Factor Model), we now know that personality does influence job performance in predictable ways, although the impact can vary for different jobs. Briefly, the Big Five are personality factors, usually measured by personality tests, which are found across cultures:
Agreeableness: being kind, likable and respectful of authority.
Conscientiousness: hard-working, dedicated and thorough.
Extraversion: outgoing, lively and persuasive.
Stability: calm, resilient and optimistic.
Openness: flexible and intellectually curious.
Nearly two decades of research using the Big Five model suggests that, in most circumstances, highly conscientious individuals tend to be better performers in most jobs–they have a stronger work ethic, show more initiative and act more responsibly. People with high levels of stability tend to outperform those with less stability because they respond better to disappointments, pressure and crisis situations.
The picture on the other factors tends to differ from job to job. Service workers tend to perform better if they are more agreeable because of their cooperative and respectful nature. Salespeople who are more extroverted also tend to perform better because they are more comfortable interacting with and persuading others. Finally, people who are open and flexible tend to do well in training others, given their interest in expanding their own capabilities and learning new skills.
Despite personality’s role, it is important to remember that other factors could have an equally strong or stronger impact on job performance. For example, there is a long track record of studies demonstrating that intellectual abilities, job knowledge and job simulation exercises (such as role plays) are excellent methods of identifying people who will perform well on the job. Therefore, a combination of different types of techniques, including both ability assessments and personality inventories, usually will do the best job of identifying candidates who have a high potential for success. You will capture both the “can do” aspects of performing (with the ability assessments) and the “will do” aspects of performing (with the personality inventories). Just make sure that any tests you use for selecting job candidates are properly validated and consistent with professional and legal standards.
SOURCE: Joseph D. Abraham, Ph.D., A&M Psychometrics, Tulsa, Oklahoma, co-author of the Performance Perspectives Inventory, December 22, 2005.
LEARN MORE: Learn how three companies cut turnover by using personality tests during the recruiting/hiring process. Also, an overview of personality tests.
The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.
Come see what we’re building in the world of predictive employee scheduling, superior labor insights and next-gen employee apps. We’re on a mission to automate workforce management for hourly employees and bring productivity, optimization and engagement to the frontline.
Staffing Management
Managing employee time-off requests: A guide for business ownersSummary Vacation, sick time, PTO banks, and unpaid leave are only a few forms of employee time off — Mo...
Staffing Management
4 proven steps for tackling employee absenteeismSummary Identifying the cause of employee absenteeism not only helps uncover deeper-rooted issues — Mor...
absence management, Employee scheduling software, predictive scheduling, shift bid, shift swapping
Staffing Management
Employee or contractor? 6 worker misclassification FAQsMisclassification of employees as independent contractors led to overtime violations, according to a La...
compliance, Department of Labor, employee engagement, FLSA, HR technology, Worker misclassification