Introduction
It is not only America as a nation that values diversity, but, also the American firm’s values diversity in their decision making. Firms that embrace diversity are successful because diversity brings in new ideas and perceptions. The diversity in a firm may be in the form of having employees from different backgrounds, origin, gender, skin color, age bracket and so forth. Though, diversity has immense benefits to a firm it comes with a lot of issues. One, diversity brings people with different personality traits and attitudes. If the employee’s traits and attitudes are taken care of well the productivity and performance increases. On the other hand, if these two aspects are not looked on well the firm may experience low productivity and performance. In this paper I will look on the relationship between personality traits, attitudes and performance.
Job satisfaction
Although, many people think about job satisfaction in terms of the rewards an employee is given, job satisfaction entails environmental, psychological and physiological circumstances. Apart from the pay and rewards, other factors such as working conditions, opportunities, leadership, communication, job security, career development, recognition and employee personality play a role in job satisfaction (Bourne, 2021). These factors if looked on well act as ingredients of job satisfaction and when employees are satisfied there is loyalty and high productivity that result to low employee turnover and increased profits.
The major factor that determine job satisfaction is employee personality. Employees who keep asking their supervisors and managers whether they are on track are likely to be satisfied than those who do not seek to know. The same happens to employees who go an extra mile in order to complete certain tasks. Employees who also strive to remain in the firm are better positioned to be satisfied with their roles (Bourne, 2021).
There are five personality traits that influence employee job satisfaction. These are; Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism (Trident University Library, 2017). Each of these traits influence individuals differently. Employees who are open to new ideas are able to adjust to changes in a workplace. If they are new hires they are able to learn very first. This enables employees with this trait to be satisfied with their jobs. For example, when Covid-19 pandemic made businesses to allow their employees to work remotely, only employees who are open, curious and creative were satisfied with their jobs (Odum, 2021).
Conscientiousness refers to dependability, punctuality and achievement oriented. Employees with this trait are more satisfied with their jobs than those who do not demonstrate this trait. this group of individuals are highly motivated to perform, have a low level of absenteeism and turnover, and their performance is safe and exemplary as they are systematic and organized. Extraversion personality trait is good for team work. Individuals who are not talkative and sociable in most cases do not get satisfied with their jobs if those jobs demand social situation. But, on the other hand, this personality does not perform well in jobs that have no social interaction (Trident University Library, 2017).
Agreeableness entails the ability to work with others without conflict. Employees with this personality are a darling to many as they know how to get along with their colleagues. They are satisfied with their jobs, but, they avoid airing views that can cause conflict and may be a benefit to the firm. Neuroticism personality consists of being moody, anxious, temperamental and irritable. Employees with this personality have a lot of issues at the work place and thus not satisfied with their jobs. It is like they stick to their place of work due to lack of another place to work. In most cases, these employees do not share values with their firms and managers and supervisors rarely appreciate them (Castrillon, 2021).
Work attitudes
Work attitudes refer to beliefs, opinions and feelings an employee bring to a place of work. These attitudes influence performance and employee relationships. In several occasions job satisfaction and organizational commitment are the major attitudes that determine an employee’s behavior (Trident University Library, 2017). Employees attitude is shaped by personality, workplace treatment, the relationship with workmates, stress, person-environment match, job characteristics among other factors.
Employers do not entertain certain attitudes at their workplace. That is why employees always find themselves at loggerheads with managers. Who can cope up with lateness? Who can afford to keep an employee who does not finish tasks on time? To be successful in a workplace employees need to cultivate attitudes like being grateful for having an opportunity to have a place to work, be assertive and humble (SAP BRAND VOICE, 2013).
Work attitudes are indicators of employees who are commitment to the success of the organization, who are in the process of leaving the firm and those who will display high performance. Organizations can use work attitudes of employees to make their working environment better. Work attitudes are infectious. While, an employee with a positive attitude will pull others forward, an employee with negative attitudes will be a liability in the firm. Organizations either help employees with negative attitudes to adjust them or remove them from their workforce. Organizations that perform well do not look on the books of accounts, marketing or overhead costs first. They first understand the attitudes of the employees and managers (Silva, 2021).
Organizational commitment, Absenteeism and Turnover
Organizational commitment refers to the emotional attachment employees have with the firm they work for. It is this attachment that determines how employees perform. If the attachment is strong employees are likely to work for the good of their organization. In such an environment employees are not absent from work and they spend years in the same firm. But, if an employee’s relationship with their organization is weak, then their performance will be low (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021).
In conclusion, individual differences in a workplace is a strength that can be harnessed for the good of the organization. Firms need to look for ways that will make employees to be satisfied with their jobs and be commitment to their organizations. On the other hand, employees need to cultivate positive work attitudes so as to be productive and contribute to the success of their organizations.
