Are you about to hire a new team member? Do you want to identify someone for a deserving promotion? Knowing the signs of a hard working employee will allow you to hire and promote the best talent possible.
Whatever your goal is, it’s important to be able to recognize a hard working employee when you see one. After all, it’s not always easy to come by a hard worker that will fit nicely into your team. Sometimes, the signs of a hard working employee could be so subtle that they often go unnoticed in the workforce.
In case you need to hire or promote somebody, the following are seven subtle signs of a hard working employee. In addition to these signs, listen to your gut instinct and you’ll have a pretty clear picture of whether you hired the right person, or who is ready to be promoted.
Sign #1: A hard working employee can adapt to any schedule.
Schedules often change and having adaptable employees is so important. Otherwise, you’ll be left with employees who drag their feet at every little change. You then have to do a lot of hand-holding and explaining and no one wants that.
You’ll notice the signs of a hard working employee when they are efficient with their time management and can perform tasks way before the deadlines. These hard workers will manage their employee schedules in the workforce very well and make the most out of their day at work.
Sign #2: A hard working employee is always dependable.
Another sign of a hard working employee on your team is their reliability. If you can turn to them when you’re in a pinch and they’re eager to help, that’s a good sign.
It’s also a good sign if other employees on your team turn to them for help with tasks or projects and they put down what they’re doing to help. When you have a dependable employee, not only do they come into work every day, but they consistently produce good work.
This type of hard working employee will develop strong working relationships with their team members and other employees at your company. They regard everyone in the same manner and place value on fostering relationships with employees at all levels of the company.
Sign #3: The employee continues to work hard months after being hired.
The signs of a hard working employee should become apparent in the weeks after being hired. Sometimes, a potential employee looks good on paper and performs well in an interview. Then, you hire them and they continue to impress beyond your expectations.
The hard working employee won’t stop being impressive after landing the job. They’ll continue to demonstrate the right qualities even months after being hired. You know this is a good employee because it’s obvious that they take pride in their work and want to do a good job no matter the time or circumstance.
Sign #4: The hard working employee will seek new challenges
A hard working employee is always on the lookout for new challenges and new ways to apply their skills. This conveys a willingness to leave their comfort zone and shows you just how ambitious they are.
Having a person like this on your team is invaluable. It creates someone who has grown and extended their skills by taking on projects outside of their regular duties. They can then act as a leader for the rest of the team and showcase skills like project management, time management, and the ability to prioritize their work.
Sign #5: A hard working employee is detail-oriented.
It’s all in the details! If you have a subordinate who has excellent attention to detail, this is one of the subtle signs of a hard working employee.
An employee who pays attention to the details will not overlook anything when working on a project. This is important because the last thing you want is a completed project that turns out to have key details missing. All aspects of a project must get taken seriously and with a hard-working, detail-oriented employee on your team, you know this has been taken care of.
Sign #6: The hard working employee seeks new ways to improve.
You know you have a hard working employee on your hands when they’re constantly asking you for feedback. This means that they are motivated and positive worker. It would be easy for an employee to just coast through their career doing what they’re doing, but when they actually want to grow and improve, you know you have a hard-working employee on your hands. Another sign that you have a hard-working employee is that they take that feedback and put it into action. Then they can truly grow and improve.
Sign #7: The employee is highly regarded by their colleagues.
If you notice that an employee is highly regarded and respected by the peers that they spend the most time with, you know you have a hard working employee on your hands.
This is usually showcased in a few ways. One way to see this is if other employees turn to them for help with a task or project or advice on how to do something. If they weren’t highly regarded, other employees wouldn’t care about their opinions and seek out their help.