The Three Main Characteristics of a Good Employee - Dependability, Honesty, and Self-Confidence - Essay Example

Composition IV. The Characteristics of a Good Employee. The world of work in the twenty first century is a competitive place and every employee has to find ways of ensuring that they fit into the company they work for, and maintain their value to the organization. Everybody is different, and some people are good at figures, for example, while others have great people skills, or an ability to bring in new ideas. There are three main characteristics, however, that employers look out for when they are trying to appoint the best possible person.

The three main characteristics of a good employee are: dependability, honesty and self-confidence. Dependability is something that employers treasure because it demonstrates that an employee cares about the organization and can maintain a consistent performance. It includes such everyday skills as turning up on time every day, and basic courtesy such following instructions from superiors in a conscientious way. Managers hate employees who promise great things but never deliver. It is better to be clear about what is possible, and if necessary negociate longer deadlines or lower targets if something is going to be difficult to achieve.

A dependable employee does not let the organization down, and this helps senior managers to be realistic about targets and to avoid any unexpected problems. Honesty is another essential attribute of a good employee. Taking up a position within a company involves a relationship of trust. In a banking or finance company, honesty with money is an absolute prerequisite. Hospital staff have to be careful to preserve the confidentiality of documents and information. All employees have a responsibility to be open and honest with their colleagues.

If anything goes wrong, it is better to tell the truth, and be honest about anything that an employee has done incorrectly or failed to do. Honest employees bring problems into the open and help to solve them. A dishonest employee can indulge in gossip and shady dealings, which ultimately can harm the company and cause distress other colleagues. In the workplace, honesty is always the best policy and it will encourage an atmosphere of good teamwork and mutual respect. It may seem strange to cite self-confidence as one of the characteristics of a good employee, but certainly it is an essential part most modern jobs.

Technology speeds up all of the usual workplace processes, so that employees are required to make fast decision, sometimes without much information or help from other people. Self-confidence, based on a realistic estimation of one’s own skills, can help an employee to step up when needed and go the extra mile for the organization. This is not the same as being arrogant or reckless. A self-confident employee can hold his or her head up high and be proud to represent the organization in any context.

This is something that new employees should strive to attain as soon as possible when they start a new job. Dependability, honesty and self-confidence are not the only characteristics of a good employee, but anyone who has them will surely succeed in the workplace and have a good foundation on which to build more useful characteristics and skills.