Problems with Most Employees and What to Do About Them

The problem with most employees is not that they are not doing well in their job, it is that they spent years working hard without realizing that what they do may not be what their employers want!

Remember that your employer is also a human being. What would you like to see in another human being? Someone who is initiated, reliable and has the aptitude to learn is always an asset to an employer.  Based on years of experience in coaching, teaching and consulting thousands of employers and employees worldwide, below are the first 4 of the 10 bite-sized pointers to guide you towards becoming a great value worker for your boss.

Top 10 Things that Every Employer Looks for in an Employee:

1.	Be a low maintenance employee Before we can talk about a car being high performance, it must first be low maintenance and cannot break down frequently.  Same for an employee.  Being low maintenance means requiring minimal supervision and is very flexible Do not ‘break-down’ often (i.e. fall sick less) and don’t take too much leave to do your personal things (you can always do them in the weekends or during lunch breaks). Possess basic training – do not ask your employer to teach you things that you should already know (like how to use Powerpoint).  By far the best way to be low maintenance is not to be ‘blur’, i.e. , be sharp.   Anything that you don’t know should ask questions and prevent confusion in the future.
2.	2Rs : Reliability and the Right work ethics Do what you say and say what you would do.  That also means don’t break down suddenly (like having mood swings). Have the right work ethics. Always be supportive of the management and work with a never say no attitude.
3.	Take ownership of issues at work Don’t think that just because you don’t own the company, the issues at work are none of your concern.  Instead ‘own’ the issues as though it is your own. With ownership you will have Accountability.  We know that Accountability leads to Responsibility.
4.	Be a problem solver, not a problem giver. Craft yourself to be a person that the company can fall back on in times of need.  This makes you an asset to the company. If you cannot solve the problem, don’t add on to the problem.  Like if you cannot collect the debts as assigned by your boss, don’t add on problem like getting into a legal tussle with the clients.

Taken from Asia Trainers' course "High Contributing Employees" coming on 14 March 2015 Friday 9 am. Click here for How to Be a High Performing Manager.